


Friends and Favors

by KayleeRen



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, Angry Kylo Ren, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Campus Kylo, College, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Fluffy Kylo Ren, Friendship/Love, Kylo Ren Has Issues, Kylo is a moody college kid, Porn With Plot, Romance, Slow Burn, Smut, Twisted and Fluffy Feelings, just for fun
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-07
Updated: 2017-03-03
Packaged: 2018-09-15 14:03:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 25,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9238133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KayleeRen/pseuds/KayleeRen
Summary: The other night I had a dream about Kylo Ren in an alternate universe setting that takes place on a college campus. Well I couldn't get it out of my head so I turned it into a story that you now get to read :)Basically, reader/OC is at the same college as Kylo Ren who has a reputation for being kind of scary. Kylo asks OC/reader for a favor one day, and deciding to take pity on the dude, she says yes. So she becomes his pretend girlfriend to help please his worried mother, and then one favor turns into two, and then it all gets messy and she can't tell if her feelings are pretend anymore.Give it a try. It was a fun story to write.





	1. Prologue

“Why are guys such complete assholes?” I groaned, hitting my head against the brick wall. I hissed in pain as my forehead made contact a little more forcefully than I had meant.

 

“Hitting your head against the wall won’t make things any better,” my best friend Aayla, commented.

 

“You’re wrong about that. If I pass out, I won’t have to see THAT,” I said, gesturing to the couple across the courtyard who looked as if they were trying to beat the world record for the longest session of swapping saliva.

 

“Come on,” Aayla huffed, dragging me away from the disturbing scene. “You know, it’s been over a year now. He was bound to move on.”

 

“Yeah, I know this. I just wish he didn’t have to move on right in front of me,” I sighed. “It’s kind of rude, don’t you think?”

 

“No, not if he thought that you didn’t still have feelings for him,” she said thoughtfully. “Which you clearly do.”

 

“I never stopped loving him, even if he stopped loving me,” I said with a hint of desperation. “You know I tried getting over him. I’ve dated 3 guys since Kit.”

 

“I wouldn’t call a single dinner ‘Dating’” Aayla said, raising a brow. “You have had three dates since Kit.”

 

“It’s not my fault that every guy on campus is repulsive,” I commented as we made our way back towards the dorm.

 

It was fall and the leaves were steadily falling in a shower of crimson and gold. A few leaves fell into the thick auburn nest that was my hair and I spent a few seconds wrestling them out.

 

“What was wrong with Atton?” Aayla asked.

 

“He was totally obsessed with football. We had nothing in common,” I muttered.

 

“And Jerec?”

 

“He texted his mother throughout the entire dinner, letting her know how it was going,” I said, scowling.

 

“Okay….and Davik?” she asked, almost afraid to hear my answer.

 

“Dude….the guy was all hands and no finesse,” I sighed. “Kit was the only one who ever made me go weak in the knees. I mean we were together for 4 years! How do you move on past something like that?”

 

“I don’t know girl, I’m sorry,” Aayla said sympathetically. “I guess you just have to distance yourself from him. Find a distraction.”

 

“Kind of hard when we go to the same college,” I reminded her. “Anyways, enough about my pathetic love life. How is Sam?”

 

“He’s great,” she said, her face instantly lighting up in a smile. “We’re planning on going skiing during winter break.”

 

“Oooo fun,” I said, waggling my eyebrows up and down suggestively. “A little cozy time in the mountains. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

 

“Well that really narrows my options,” she said, her voice dripping in sarcasm.

 

“You’d do anything, Siri.”

 

“Almost anything,” I corrected her, a grin on my face. “I do have my limits.”

 

“Speaking of limits, here comes one now,” Aayla muttered.

 

I looked up and saw huge dark figure walking down the sidewalk towards us. I instantly recognized those broad shoulders and wavy black curls. It was Kylo Ren, a boy in our year that had a bit of a reputation for being….different. There were tons of rumors around campus that he had killed a guy. I didn’t believe rumors, but I could see why they were started in the first place.

 

Kylo Ren was about 6’2’’ and he was made of pure muscle. Not in way that body builders look, you know, like they injected way too many steroids and were really just trying to compensate for…well you get the idea. Kylo was just naturally thick, like everywhere. His arms were bulging, even through that black zip up jacket he always seemed to wear. One of his legs was about equal to two of mine, and he seemed to tower over everyone. The fact that he was very stand offish and he had a constant glower on his face didn’t help negate the rumors.

 

“Oh, Kylo isn’t so bad,” I said. “I had him as my lab partner last semester. He actually knew his shit.”

 

He glanced down at me as he passed us, and I gave him a tentative smile. He nodded once, and continued on his way.

 

“He gives me the creeps,” Aayla said in a low voice. “I don’t know how you managed him as your partner.”

 

“We didn’t talk too much about anything except the project we were working on,” I said. “But he never tried to kill me.”

 

“Well, stay away from him from now on Siri. That guy is bad news,” she warned. We stopped in front of the dorms.

 

“Pshh. Every guy is bad news,” I said, rolling my eyes.

 

“True. Well, I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said.

 

We said goodbye and I made my way up the stairs towards my dorm room. Once I was inside, I locked the door and flopped down on my bed. Well beds. I had pushed the two twin beds together, forming a large expanse of bed that took up most of the room. My roommate had been kicked out of the college for selling drugs a week ago and I thought well if she wasn’t going to use the bed anymore…waste not want not right?

 

The walls of my dorm were covered in various posters all shouting things that were very “Me”. Jon Snow stared down at me from the nearest poster. Beside that, my favorite metal band loomed looking quite menacing. Across the room, the wall was littered in bands and book promotion posters, all sporting my geeky splendor.

 

“Oh Jon,” I sighed. “What would you do?”

The picture remained silent of course, but that didn’t deter me. I had a habit of talking to my poster-clad walls.

 

“How about you, Loki?” I asked, glaring up at the dark haired villain. “Any advice about men?”

 

Again, nothing. But I was excellent at talking to myself.

 

“Excellent suggestion,” I said nodding at him. “I’ll run Kit through with something pointy.”

 

Grinning to myself, I got up and stared at myself in the mirror. My hair was a little messy from the wind and the leaves, but it still hung straight and long, reaching my chest. I was on the shorter end of the height chart, with curvy hips and a full chest. Of course my chest was always covered up in my favorite baggy My Chemical Romance hoodie, so you couldn’t really tell I had a large cup size. My skin was pale, and my eyes were round and shone bright green. Honestly, I always thought I looked rather plain.

 

“Maybe if I dyed my hair blonde,” I muttered to myself, thinking of the shade of blonde Kit was currently sucking lips with.

 

I looked at my pale skin and decided that wouldn’t be a good idea. I’d probably look washed out. I sighed again.

 

“There’s got to be some way to get him back…” I said, knowing how desperate I sounded.


	2. Unexpected

To my credit, I took Aayla’s advice. I tried to avoid Kit, I really did. But it seemed like no matter how hard I tried to get away from him, the more he was just… _there_. In the halls between my classes, there he was. On the grounds in the evenings, boom. Right in my way. Even in the freaking coffee shop that I frequented, even though I know for a fact he hates coffee. It was really starting to piss me off. Especially since he was _always_ with Ms.BlonderThanMe and they always seemed to be in the middle of an epic battle with their tongues.

 

Every time I saw them at it, my stomach filled with hot water and my heart sank a little more each time. I mean, come on. 4 years of being super close with someone does not just does not get erased overnight. Or in a year. Apparenlty, Kit had no problem with moving on, so why did I? The worst part was that he just ignored me, pretending like I was part of the furniture, rather than his ex girlfriend he spend 4 fucking years with.

 

At least until Tuesday, when he broke away from his girlfriends lips long enough to saunder up to me in the courtyard. I was buried in a romance book, trying to escape the pitiful excuse that was my own love life, when he plopped down next to me like he owned the bench.

 

“Can I help you?” I asked, trying to keep the majority of the menace I was feeling out of my voice.

 

“Just wanted to see how you were doing,” Kit said, shooting me a half smile.

 

Goddamnit why did he have to be so good looking? He still had those perfect white teeth, that sandy brown hair that fell around his face perfectly. He was slender and handsome and oh how I hated him.

 

“Fine,” I said, looking back down at my book.

 

“You sure? You’ve seemed kind of pissed off lately,” he pressed on.

 

“Me? Nah. I’m surprised you’ve taken the time to even try to notice how I’m feeling. I figured sucking face with whatshername would have taken up all your attention,” I said before I could stop myself.

 

Kit sighed heavily.

 

“Siri, come on. We’ve been over this. Its been over a year. You have to move on,” he said with the air that he was talking to a very stupid 6 year old.

 

“I have moved on, thank you very much,” I said, shooting him a scathing look. “I just think it’s kind of gross how you can’t go anywhere without being glued to someone else’s mouth. I prefer to suck face in private, but hey. To each their own.”

 

“Right. You’re getting action,” he said, clearly not believing a word I said.

 

“Sure. Just because I don’t display it –“

 

“Bullshit, Siri. I know for a fact that you haven’t gotten any since we split. It’s kind of pathetic,” Kit said, smirking.

 

“Fuck you, Kit!” I shouted getting to my feet. Several people in the courtyard stopped and looked our way. “Who I decide to fuck isn’t any of your business! And for your information, I’ve been seeing someone who is a lot better in bed than you ever were.”

 

“Oh come on, Siri. Do you know how sad you sound right—“

 

“Is there a problem?” a deep voice asked from behind me.

 

I turned and saw Kylo Ren towering over me. My face heated in embarrassment. Great, just what I needed. Kylo Ren heard my pathetic domestic dispute.

 

“Nothing that concerns you, Ren,” Kit said, shooting him a sneer even though Kylo was a good 4 or 5 inches taller than him.

 

“Anything that concerns my girlfriend, concerns me,” Kylo said, his voice calm but dangerous. He put one of his huge hands on my shoulder. It was a possessive gesture that clearly was warning Kit to back the fuck off.

 

Kit stared dumbfounded between me and Kylo. I tried to arrange my face like this wasn’t new information to me, though I was dumbfounded. Why in the hell would Kylo Ren come to my rescue? We weren’t friends. He didn’t owe me anything…

 

“You’re fucking _him_?!” Kit said, the corner of his mouth twitching in a sneer.

 

“That’s right she is. And I better not ever catch you calling my girlfriend pathetic again, Warren, you got that?” Kylo said, giving Kit a look that plainly said ‘I’m not afraid to murder your punk ass.’ It was impressive. Even Kit looked wary.

 

“Whatever. Good luck with your psycho boyfriend,” Kit muttered at me before he turned and stalked off.

 

I stared after him for a few seconds, still quite dazed.

 

“You’re welcome,” Kylo said, his deep voice rousing me from my stupor.

 

“Wha….Why did you do that?” I asked, looking up at him in confusion. Damn, he was

tall.

 

“I heard you guys fighting from over there,” he said, pointing at a brick wall that people liked to sit on. “I figured you could use a hand. You were starting to sound kinda lame, kid.”

 

I rolled my eyes at him. Ever since lab last year, he insisted on calling me _kid_ even though he was only a year older than me. I didn’t really think that 23 qualified me as a kid anymore.

 

“Well thanks so much for the valiance, but I didn’t need your help,” I said, my hands on my hips.

 

“Didn’t look that way to me,” he said, the corner of his mouth barely twitching in what might have been a hint of a grin. I had never seen Kylo smile in the 2 years we had been at the same school. “Why were you guys fighting anyways? I thought you two were a thing.”

 

“Not for the past year or so,” I said with a sigh. I ran my fingers through my hair. “I guess he just wanted to remind me of that fact.”

 

“Ah. That guys a dick. You’re better off without him, kid.”

 

I looked up at him surprised. Kylo Ren was giving me words of comfort? Today was shaping up to be really really strange.

 

“Right…well uh. Thanks for the ‘help’, but I should probably be going now,” I said, slinging my bag onto my shoulder.

 

“Actually, there was something I wanted to talk to you about,” he said. “Do you have time for a cup of coffee?”

 

“Uh…sure. Why not?” I said surprised. What on earth could Kylo Ren want from me?

 

He nodded and we set off across campus together towards the little coffee shop.

 

“Soo…” I said, wondering how to make small talk with someone who didn’t seem to like to actually speak. “How was your summer?”

 

“Shit,” he said.

 

“Oh,” I said awkwardly. “Did you go home?”

 

“Unfortunately,” he replied, his face dark and angry. “Stayed in my room mostly.”

 

“Okay,” I said slowly. “Did you play videogames?”

 

“PlayStation,” he said.

_What is with him and short answers?_

_“_ I have a PS4 too,” I said, surprised we had anything in common.

 

We started a conversation about our favorite games and how much better the PlayStation was compared to the Xbox. This conversation carried us all the way across campus and into the coffee shop. I got my usual cup of coffee with 2 creams, and Kylo got his black. We sat down together at a little table in the corner. I grinned, seeing how out of place he looked. They just don’t make tables big or dark enough to hold someone like him.

 

“So….what’s on your mind,” I asked as I sipped my coffee.

 

“Got a favor to ask you,” he said. To my surprise he looked awkward and uncomfortable.

 

“Shoot,” I said.

 

“It’s….it’s kind of a weird request. See, my mom’s a pain in the ass. She’s always nagging me that I don’t have enough friends and I need to get out there more….ya know mom stuff,” he said, staring down into his coffee. I noticed it was as black as his hair.

 

“Moms can be like that,” I said, nodding.

 

“Right. Well, she said that if I don’t start putting in an effort to be more _social_ ,” he said spitting the word out like it tasted bad. “Then she’s gonna bring me home, and trust me. Home is the last place I want to be.”

 

“Why don’t you like your home?” I asked. For some reason, I was really curious about this gargantuan man sitting before me. No one knew much about him, but I was determined to figure him out.

 

“I don’t get along with my family,” he said simply. “My Dad especially.”

 

“I’m sorry to hear that,” I said. “But how can I help?”

 

“Well….I was wondering if you would be willing to uh….” Kylo said, looking at me for the first time. “Pretend to be my girlfriend to get my mom off my ass?”

 

I stared into his dark eyes, bewildered. That was SO not what I had in mind when he said he needed a favor. I thought he just wanted help with some homework or something.

 

“You….what?” I managed to spit out.

 

“I know, it sounds stupid. But it’s the only way I can convince her to leave me alone,” he said. “You wouldn’t have to do much. Just take a few pictures with me, you know, being all…however people act when they’re in love. Just so I can send them to my mom to prove I’m ‘making an effort’.”

 

He said these last words in a mocking voice, quoting the words with his fingers.

 

“You want me to take a few pictures of us together all happy and smiling?” I said, making sure I got his request right.

 

“Yeah, and maybe eat with me in the cafeteria on campus so the professors see,” he said as an afterthought. “My mom talks to my professors about my socialization issues.”

 

“Right,” I said blankly.

 

“I know it’s a stupid thing to ask,” he said, rather grouchily.

 

“No, it’s fine…but why me?” I asked.

 

“You seem alright to me. At least your not a complete moron like everyone else around here,” he said, his gaze flickering down to my hoodie and space print Van’s shoes.

 

“Oookay. Sure,” I said. “I guess I’ll help you out.”

 

“Really?” he asked, his expression hopeful.

 

“Yeah, why not. A pretend boyfriend is better than no boyfriend I guess,” I said grinning.

 

“Thanks, kid. You’re really doing me a huge solid,” he said. “And you know, guys always want what they can’t have. Seeing you with me, might help your chances with that Warren guy.”

 

“I thought you said I’m better off without Kit?” I said, raising a brow.

 

“You are, but who am I to judge?” he said, the ghost of a grin on his lips. “The heart wants what the heart wants…or some shit like that.”

 

“Gee, thanks Romeo,” I said with a laugh.

 

“Hand me your phone,” he said, reaching out expectantly.

I raised a brow in alarm.

 

“I’m gonna put my number in it so I can text you when I need to,” he said dryly.

 

“Oh, okay,” I said handing over my phone.

 

“There,” he said as he typed in his number. “I sent myself a text so I have your number. I’ll let you know when I need you on girlfriend patrol.”

 

“I have one condition,” I said, as he made to get up.

 

“What’s that?” he asked, looking down at me.

 

“You gotta stop calling me kid,” I said with a grimace. “I hate that shit.”

 

He considered me for a moment.

 

“Done,” he said. He glanced down at my hoodie once more. “By the way, nice hoodie, babe.”

 

“Douche,” I said loudly, causing several people to glance in our direction.

I looked apologetically at them, before turning to see Kylo walking out of the coffee shop. For a second, I could have sworn I saw him laughing.


	3. Secrets

“So let me get this straight…you agreed to be the girlfriend of Kylo Ren, and you’re not getting anything from it?” Aayla said slowly, gazing at me like I had lost my mind.

 

“Well, I mean it won’t hurt my chances with Kit. You know, guys always want what they can’t have,” I said. “Besides, I’m not actually his girlfriend. I’m just doing the guy a favor. All I have to do is hang out with him now and then and take some phony pictures of us smooching and holding hands so he can send them to his mom.”

 

“You’re going to kiss him?!” she shrieked.

 

“Will you keep your voice down!” I whispered, looking around at all the curious faces that were glancing in our direction. The library was really not the place to be discussing this kind of thing, but Aayla was still on shift and I had nothing better to do than bug her.

 

“Yeah, I’m guessing I’ll have to kiss him at some point. We gotta make it look convincing,” I said in a low voice.

 

“But…it’s Kylo Ren,” she urged. “Doesn’t that scare you?”

 

I laughed.

 

“What’s there to be scared of? He’s really not that bad. Sure he can be a little moody, but he’s never done anything to scare me. And come on, he isn’t hard on the eyes.”

 

“I guess not…if you’re into bad boys,” she relented. “Oh, yeah. I forgot you are into the bad guys.”

 

“Guilty as charged,” I said with a chuckle. “But nothing real is going on between us. I’m just doing a friend a favor.”

 

My phone beeped and I dug it out of my pocket.

 

“Just…promise me you’ll be careful. If he like tries to take advantage of you or tries to make you do drugs or something, promise me you’ll stop seeing him and get help,” Aayla said, her eyes wide with worry.

 

“Nothing to worry about,” I said absently. “Speaking of the devil, looks like he needs his woman.”

 

I shot her a suggestive wink and Aayla rolled her eyes.

 

“Get out of here,” she said waving me away.

I chuckled and turned to leave the library.

 

“Text me the minute you get away from him!” she half whispered, half shouted after me.

 

Rolling my eyes, I looked down at my phone.

 

KYLO REN: You free tonight?

 

I quickly typed out a reply.

 

SIRI FARO: Sure. What time?

 

KYLO REN: 7?

 

I looked at the time. I had an little over an hour before he wanted to meet.

 

SIRI FARO: Ok. Where you wanna meet?

 

KYLO REN: I can pick you up.

 

SIRI FARO: Ok. Picture time?

 

KYLO REN: Yup.

 

SIRI FARO: K. I’ll try to look nice.

 

KYLO REN: Whatever. Mom doesn’t care what my gf looks like, as long as I have one.

 

I rolled my eyes. Whatever. I was going to make sure I looked halfway decent. I knew that Moms loved when their sons were dating pretty girls. I didn’t think I was pretty, but hey a little eyeliner goes a long way.

 

SIRI FARO: K. Let me know when you’re outside the dorm.

 

He didn’t reply, so I figured that was his way of agreeing. I walked across campus back towards my dorm. It was really getting cold now. I shivered slightly and ran up the stairs to my dorm. Once I was safely inside, I got in the shower letting the hot water warm me up.

 

I wondered how exactly we would go about tonight. Would we just pose randomly around campus and take fake pictures of us smiling? I still hadn’t seen Kylo really smile once. I was half convinced he didn’t know how. Just thinking about posing with him, wrapped up like a couple of love birds made me feel super awkward.

Tonight was going to be…. Interesting.

 

 

Stepping out of the shower, I got to work drying and straightening my hair. Straight, is the only way I know how to wear it. I put on a light line of eye liner and some mascara, making my eyes look bigger and less dull. I even smeared some lip balm on my lips, making them look fuller.

 

I started digging through my clothes, wondering what on earth I should wear. I didn’t think that I should wear anything too bright. For one, I didn’t own a lot of bright clothes, and for two…well if Kylo sent a picture of himself with a bright and bubbly looking girl, I highly doubted his mom would believe it to be true. She would probably think that he photoshopped a girl in the picture. Kylo was just not the kind of guy that dated preppy girls.

_Good thing I’m not really preppy._

 

In the end, I picked out some skinny jeans and a red flannel shirt. It wasn’t what I would call sexy, but it was a step up from my usual baggy hoody and jeans. I kept my Vans on though. I figured whatever pictures we took, my feet wouldn’t be of concern.

 

I gave myself a once over, judging my appearance from a mother’s perspective. I looked like an okay girl. Kind of plain, but not too dangerous or unruly. I sighed. It would have to do.

 

My phone beeped at me again and I saw it was Kylo.

 

KYLO REN: Here.

 

SIRI FARO: Coming.

 

I grabbed my wallet and headed down the stairs. Once outside, I looked around expectantly for Kylo, but I didn’t see anyone standing outside the building. All I could see was a sleek black jaguar parked across the street. I frowned, thinking maybe he had the wrong building. I was just pulling out my phone when the window of the jaguar rolled down.

 

“Over here, kid!” Kylo called.

 

“Woah!” I said dumbstruck. I crossed the street and stared open mouthed at his ride.

 

“Is this yours?”

 

“No I stole it,” he said.

 

I stared at him and he sighed.

 

“Of course it’s mine, moron. Now get in,” he said, opening the door from the inside.

I climbed in, feeling very self conscious. I had never even sat in a car half this nice before.

 

“How in the hell is this your car?” I asked as I shut the door as gently as I could.

 

“I sell meth,” he said seriously. “There’s some in the glovebox if you’re interested.”

 

I stared at him in panic.

 

“Relax, kid,” he said with a smirk. “I’m kidding.”

 

“Oh… yeah I knew that,” I said, trying to keep my cool. “And I told you to stop calling me kid.”

 

“Sorry. Force of habit,” he said, pulling away from the curb and out of the campus.

 

“So are you super loaded or something?” I asked, looking around at the sleek black leather interior.

 

“My parents are,” Kylo said, a hint of disdain in his voice.

 

“Doctors?” I asked, curious.

 

“No. My mom is in politics,” he said, clearly uncomfortable.

 

“Like…making laws and taxing people?” I asked. Politics weren’t my strong suit.

 

“Like…she’s Leia Organa,” he muttered.

 

“Leia Organa?!” I practically screamed. “THE Leia Organa?! As in the Senator Leia Organa?”

 

“That’s the one,” he replied dully.

 

“Woah! I had no idea you were her son,” I said impressed.

 

“Yeah, well I changed my name,” he replied, scowling. “It’s easier to blend in and keep to myself if people don’t think I’m the son of a Senator.”

 

“I guess I get that….still. That’s pretty cool that your mom is a Senator,” I said.

 

“If you say so,” he sighed.

 

I could sense that he was uncomfortable with this whole topic. Clearly, he and his mom had problems. I cleared my throat uncomfortably, then a thought came to mind.

 

“So what was your name before?” I asked with a grin.

 

“No way, kid. Not telling,” he said, his muscular arms gripping the wheel tightly.

 

“Come on, Kylo. I won’t tell anyone,” I pleaded, smiling at him as sweetly as I could muster. He glanced over at me and rolled his eyes.

 

“Nope.”

 

“I’ll let you call me kid,” I bargained.

 

“I already call you kid,” he said pointedly.

 

“Yeah, but I won’t complain about it,” I reasoned. “Come on now. I’m already doing you a favor by being your pretend girlfriend. The least you could do is tell me what name you were given after birth.”

 

He sighed heavily and shot me another look. I stuck out my lower lip in a pout for good measure.

 

“Fine,” he groaned. “But you absolutely cannot ever use it or tell anyone else. I don’t want people finding out who I’m related to.”

 

“I promise,” I said, saluting him military style.

 

He sighed again.

 

“Ben,” he said quickly. “Ben Solo.”

 

I smiled at him. I knew one of his secrets that no one but he and his family knew. Score one for Siri!         

 

“I like Kylo Ren better,” I said after a minute.

 

He shot me a look, like he was trying to figure out if I was being serious or not. Silence filled the car, and I wondered if I had said something to piss him off. Then after a few more minutes, he responded.

 

“So do I,” he said, his voice soft.

 

I smiled at him, and he looked over at me. I swear he was on the verge of smiling back, when the car in front of him slammed on brakes, causing him to curse and break suddenly. Luckily, we avoided any collision.

 

“So…” I said awkwardly. “Where we going?”

 

“My place,” he muttered.

 

“I didn’t know you live off campus,” I said. “But I guess there’s a lot I don’t know about you.”

 

“I hate the dorms. They’re too small,” he said with a shrug.

 

“Yeah they really are. Luckily my roommate was kicked out a few weeks ago for drugs, so I got a dorm to myself,” I said.

 

“And who says that drugs are bad? Worked out pretty well for you didn’t it?” he said sarcastically.

 

I laughed. Who knew Kylo Ren had a sense of humor? I was still smiling as we pulled up to a gate. Kylo pushed a button on a remote on his visor, and the gate opened revealing a large and very luxurious apartment complex. It honestly looked like a vacation resort instead of a place that people lived in. We passed by a huge fenced in pool that looked like it belonged in a waterpark. Kylo pulled up to a building in the back and parked the car.

 

“Damn,” I said looking around. “Nice complex.”

 

“It’s okay,” he said shrugging. “Come on. I live on the top floor.”

 

I followed him up the stairs, feeling kind of nervous for some reason. Maybe it was because I had just found out my pretend boyfriend was the loaded son of a Senator. Yeah, I was definitely feeling pretty shabby in my flannel shirt and rather old skinny jeans.

 

We stopped in front of apartment 231 and Kylo unlocked it. He strode in and flipped on the lights and I followed.

 

“Woah,” I said looking around with wide eyes. “Seriously nice digs you got here.”

 

His apartment was huge. The living room alone was easily two or three times the size of my dorm room. A black leather sectional sofa was seated in front of a huge flatscreen TV that hung above an electric fireplace. I could see his Playstation controller sitting on one of the end tables. He must have been playing it before he came to pick me up. There was an entertainment center filled with games and movies and I took a minute to look at his collection. I recognized several of my favorites on the shelves. His kitchen looked spotless and relatively untouched, like he didn’t eat very often. Black marble counter tops shone spotless, and I could see all brand new appliances. He even had a freaking mini bar included in his kitchen.

 

I turned and noticed he was leaning against the counter, watching me take it all in. I swallowed hard, feeling very out of place.

 

“Seriously, Kylo. Nice place,” I said, impressed. “I bet you could have some huge parties in this place.”

 

“I don’t really like parties,” he said awkwardly, running a hand through his dark curls. “It’s usually just me here.”

 

“What do you do up here?” I asked, eager to find out more about him.

 

“Play PS4, listen to music, watch movies…play my guitar. Boring stuff,” he said shrugging.

 

“You play guitar?” I asked.

 

“A little,” he said, moving towards his fridge. “It’s just a hobby. You want a beer?”

 

“Sure,” I said, accepting the cold beer he offered towards me.

 

I took a sip and found he had a decent taste in beer.

 

“So….” I began. “How are you wanting to do this?”

 

“I don’t really know,” he admitted, sipping on his beer. “I guess just take some pictures of us looking all happy or something? Something I can text to my mom to show I’m not making you up.”

 

“Well you kind of are, but I get the point,” I said nodding. “Are any of these pictures going on Facebook?”

 

“I don’t have a Facebook,” he said shaking his head. “I was just gonna text her some pictures.”

 

“You don’t have a Facebook?” I asked shocked. “Seriously?”

 

“I never saw the point in posting everything I did for the world to see. Oooo Kylo Ren is playing Call of Duty. Kylo Ren is eating a taco. Kylo Ren is taking a piss….I just don’t get it,” he said shaking his head.

 

I laughed hard at that.

“You have a point,” I said, still chuckling. “It does get annoying to see everyone’s pointless posts. I mostly use mine to display my art.”

 

“You paint?” he asked, raising a brow.

 

“Paint, sketch, doodle,” I said with a shrug. “A little of this, a little of that.”

 

“You any good?”

 

“You’d have to judge for yourself,” I replied. “Everyone has a different view of art.”

 

“You’ll have to show me your work sometime,” he said. “So I can judge for myself.”

 

“Sure,” I said with a grin.

 

“You any good with a camera?”

 

“I know my way around one,” I said with a shrug.

 

“Good. I’ll let you take the pictures then,” he said.

 

“I’ll do my best,” I said. I took a long gulp of beer. “So, should we get started?”

 

“Okay,” he said awkwardly. “Here, just use this.”

 

He handed me his phone. I opened it up and saw a Game of Thrones background.

 

“Nice,” I commented as I opened up the camera app. “Game of Thrones is my favorite

show.”

 

“It’s pretty much the only good show on TV,” he replied. “It’s the only one I really watch.”

 

“Are you caught up?”

 

“Of course,” he said. “Last season was insane.”

 

“I know. I can’t wait to see where they go with it,” I said, grinning. I realized I was still holding his phone. “Right. Let’s get this over with.”

 

I held out the phone and turned the camera to face us. I realized the height difference was going to be a problem. He was a foot taller than me, and it made it hard to take pictures with him.

 

“Maybe we should do this on the couch,” I said with a frown.

 

“You’re the boss,” he said, moving over to the leather sofa.

 

I sat down next to him and tried again.

 

“Gonna have to get a little closer there, Kylo,” I said.

 

He scooted closer to me, clearly uncomfortable.

 

“Come on dude,” I laughed. “I’m not gonna bite. You gotta pretend you actually like me.”

 

“I do like you,” he said. “Well, I like you enough to not want to hit you with my car.”

 

“Gee, thanks,” I said, rolling my eyes. “Well, pretend you’re physically attracted to me.”

 

“Damn, this is awkward,” he muttered, but he moved closer nevertheless.

 

I smiled sweetly and took a couple pictures of us. I realized Kylo did not look remotely happy in any of them. Instead, he was scowling angrily in all of them. I sighed, realizing I would have to take matters into my own hands for this to work.

Deciding not to give any warning, I planted a kiss on Kylo’s cheek and snapped a few pictures. I brought the pictures up and smiled. He looked surprised, but there was a grin on his lips. It wasn’t a full smile, but it still complimented his face. He actually looked kind of adorable.

 

“See?” I said, showing the picture to him. “This looks believable.”

 

“You could have warned me,” he said, rubbing his cheek.

 

“Nah, then it wouldn’t have looked real. You’re a terrible actor,” I said smiling. “Now how about you try and crack a smile?”

 

“Do I have to?” he groaned.

 

“You do if you don’t want your mom to think you’re in a terrible relationship,” I said pointedly.

 

“Fine,” he said.

 

He gave me what he thought was a smile, but to me it looked like a painful grimace. I gave him a dull look.

 

“What?!” he asked, frustrated. “I smiled!”

 

 

“Kylo, that was NOT a smile. You looked like you were in pain,” I said. “Come on.

Think about something nice…like an ice cold beer on a hot day, or winning a really hard round of Call of Duty, or….a really hot naked chick?”

 

He stared at me.

 

“Well I don’t know what you’re into!” I said throwing my hands up. “I was just suggesting common ‘guy’ things.”

 

To my surprise, and confusion, he started laughing. I mean REALLY laughing, like what I had just said was the funniest thing he had ever heard. Quickly I snapped a few pictures of him like that, making sure I was smiling too. It wasn’t hard to fake. Kylo Ren looked like an entirely different person when he really smiled. His dark demeanor vanished and he looked younger somehow. He was incredibly handsome, I realized with a start. Like….REALLY REALLY handsome. How had I never noticed?

 

“There,” I said, looking through the pictures and trying not to blush. “See that? THAT is a smile.”

 

“That was great,” he said, still grinning. “’Call of duty and naked women’. You really nailed it. That is what 98% of guys enjoy.”

 

“And are you a part of that 98%?” I asked, secretly sending the picture of him smiling to my phone. I needed proof to show to Aayla that Kylo Ren knew how to smile. It was like a major scientific discovery.

 

“I mean I wouldn’t say no to either of those things, but that’s not exactly what I would call the highlight of my year,” he said. “I’d like to think there’s a little more to me than a love for boobs and video games.”

 

“You’re right about that,” I said. “You are one of the most complicated guys I have ever met.”

 

“Is that a bad thing?” he asked seriously.

 

“No… it just makes it hard to figure you out,” I said, looking into his dark eyes.

 

“Maybe I don’t want to be figured out,” he said, not leaving my gaze.

 

“Too bad,” I said. “I’m making it my mission.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Curiosity.”

 

“Curiosity killed the cat,” he warned.

 

“I never liked cats,” I shrugged.

 

Suddenly, I realized how close we were sitting. His face was inches away from my own. He seemed to realize this too, and he scooted back, looking surprised.

 

“Well, there’s a couple decent ones in here,” I said, turning my attention back to his phone and deleting the terrible pictures. “What do you think of these? Think they will satisfy mom?”

 

Kylo flipped through the pictures and nodded.

 

“Yeah, these will work,” he said. “At least for now.”

 

“Cool,” I said, handing him back his phone. “I’ll let you do with them what you will.”

 

“Thanks again for doing this,” Kylo said, pocketing his phone. “I know this is really

weird. I’m sorry.”

 

“I’ve done weirder things for friends,” I said shrugging.

 

“So now we’re friends?” he asked, surprised.

 

“Well, I thought so…” I said slowly. “Or would you rather be like business associates?”

 

“No, no. Friends is fine,” he said, the corner of his lips twitching upwards in a grin.

 

“Man, you are so socially impaired,” I said laughing and ruffling his hair. “And I

thought I had problems.”

 

He shot me a dark look that was supposed to look menacing, but I just smiled back at him. We spent the next hour or so finishing our beers and discussing Game of Thrones. It was really kind of nice. We just hung out like normal people. Who knew Kylo Ren could be _normal_?

 

He drove me back to my dorm and when I closed the door to my dorm, I was grinning like a fool. I didn’t really know why, but I felt happier than I had in a long time.


	4. Bonding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHH!! I've gotten such nice feedback on this story! You guys are awesome :D So as a treat, here is something I think we have all been waiting for. Enjoy!

The next week passed without much incident. Kylo didn’t ask me to meet him again, so I figured the pictures were a success, at least for now. I saw Kit in the halls, still with his bimbo girlfriend, but I noticed he didn’t pretend like I was a piece of furniture anymore. He actually made eye contact with me. We didn’t speak, but hey progress is progress.

 

The following Wednesday I was walking across campus towards my next class when Kylo caught up with me. He didn’t say a word, he just took my hand in his and started walking with me.

“What are you doing?” I asked, looking down at our joined hands. His hand was massive compared to mine. It kind of looked like I was a child holding onto my father’s hand.

 

“Walking you to your next class,” he said as if this were the most obvious thing in the world.

 

When I continued to stare up at him in surprise he sighed.

 

“The professors will see us together and report back to mom,” he said.

 

“Oh yeah, I forgot,” I said. “She talks to your teachers.”

 

He nodded and we continued to walk across the campus. A few heads turned in our direction with shock on their faces. It looked like we were going to be the next topic of gossip around here, not that I really cared. I was too busy trying to ignore how warm his hand was around mine, or how surprisingly soft it was.

 

Once we were inside the building, he walked me down the hall towards my class. I didn’t know how he knew where I was going, but he steered me towards the right classroom. Kit passed us, and I saw his eyes travel from me to Kylo then to our joined hands. He even did a double take, his expression alarmed. I glanced at Kylo and saw he was wearing a smirk.

 

“That should help you out some,” he said in a low voice after we passed Kit.

 

“Right,” I said, blushing slightly. “Reverse psychology and all that.”

 

“Well,” he said, stopping in front of my classroom. “I’ll see you around kid.”

 

“Kylo!” I called as he turned to leave. “You wanna grab something to eat later?”

 

He gave me a curious look, but nodded once.

 

“I’ll pick you up,” he said, and he stalked off like the towering dark menace he was.

 

I stared after him with a grin on my face. I absolutely did NOT glance at his ass and mentally comment on how nice and toned it looked in those black jeans. Nope, nothing to see there. Shaking myself, I walked inside the classroom and took my usual spot in the back next to Aayla.

 

We were in our Contemporary Art class, and we were currently working on oil based paintings. The class was kind of chaotic as they scrambled around, fighting over the very limited tubes of paint. I didn’t mind though, as the noise and the chaos made it very easy to talk to Aayla in private.

 

“Dude, did Kylo just walk you to class holding your hand?!” she asked as I put on my smock and started working on my painting. I had been working on this piece for a couple weeks now.

 

“Uh, yeah. I think so,” I said, still kind of dazed.

 

“Woah,” she said, not bothering to touch her painting which resembled a green blob of some kind. “And did I hear you ask him out tonight?”

 

“Just as friends,” I said quickly. “But the more people that see us together, the better.

His mom talks to the professors and stuff around here. It can only help if they

confirm that he’s been seen around campus with me.”

 

“What’s he like?” she asked.

 

“Pretty normal. Kind of a loner, but you should see his apartment. Its awesome,” I said.

 

“You’ve been to his place?” she asked in alarm.

 

“Not like that,” I said rolling my eyes. “We just hung out for a while. Had a beer, talked about Game of Thrones…Oh! You have got to see this picture!”

 

I dug out my phone and brought up the picture of Kylo and I. The one that he was actually smiling in.

 

“Woah, I didn’t know he smiled,” Aayla gasped, her eyes wide. “Dude, Kylo is… _hot_.”

 

“I know right?!” I said, smiling down at the pic. “Like, I never really noticed before, but he’s like super attractive. Especially when he smiles.”

 

“Oh no,” she said, looking at me like I had sprouted an extra head. “No, no no.”

 

“What? You said he was hot too,” I said frowning.

 

“Not that,” she said shaking her head. “You like him.”

 

“Well sure,” I said shrugging. “We’re friends.”

 

“Not like that,” Aayla said impatiently. “You _like_ him. As in, you want him.”

 

“No I don’t!” I said laughing. “We’re pretending to be dating remember?”

 

“Yeah, but the way you were making goo goo eyes at that picture just now suggests otherwise,” she replied, frowning.

 

“Dude, you’re seeing things. We are friends. Just friends,” I said, like I was stating that the sky was blue.

 

“Friends who are pretending to be dating,” she said raising a brow.

 

“Well, yeah,” I said, trying to keep my face as blank as possible. “But still. Trust me. There is nothing more than that going on.”

 

“Okay…if you say so,” she said, slowly. “So have you kissed him yet?”

 

“Nope,” I said, blushing a bit at the thought.

 

“Do you want to?”

 

“Doesn’t matter to me,” I said, focusing very hard on my painting.

 

Honestly, I kind of wondered what it would be like to kiss Kylo. I wondered if he would be awkward and shy about it, or if he would be the kind of guy that just threw himself all in and pinned you up against the wall… _I should really stop thinking about it._

 

“Kit saw us together,” I said quickly, trying to get my mind off it. “He looked pretty pissed.”

 

“Serves him right,” Aayla said wisely. “He ditched you and now he’s wishing he hadn’t. Maybe he’ll realize how much he screwed up.”

 

“Maybe,” I said, wondering why the thought of Kit pleading on his hands and knees, begging for me to come back, didn’t make me as delighted as it once had.

 

 

 

 

Kylo was standing outside my dorm when I got done with classes.

 

“Hey kid,” he said, leaning against the brick wall. “You hungry yet? I’m starving.”

 

“Sure,” I said. “Just let me throw my stuff in my dorm.”

 

I went to open the door to the dorm building and noticed Kylo wasn’t following.

 

“You can come in if you want,” I said.

 

He looked hesitant, but he nodded and followed me up the stairs. I opened the door to my dorm room and walked in, wishing I had cleaned up a bit more yesterday. He walked in, ducking to avoid hitting his head on the doorframe. Damn, he was tall.

 

He looked around my room interestedly, eyeing my posters and taking in every inch of the room, making me feel very self conscious. I hadn’t noticed until this moment, how much my room resembled a very nerdy Hot Topic. It was a mixture of rock posters and fantasy fandoms. I set my book bag down near the desk and looked around sheepishly.

 

“It’s not much,” I said.

 

“I like it,” he said, grinning down at me. “It’s very…you.”

 

“What dorky and lame?” I asked, rolling my eyes.

 

“If the glove fits,” he said, but I could tell he was teasing me. “If it makes you feel any better, I’m into pretty much the same stuff you are, so I guess that makes me a dork too.”

 

“That does make me feel better,” I smiled at him. “Where you wanna eat?”

 

“I figured we could just go to that café on campus,” he said with a shrug. “Works for me,” I said, and we set off down the stairs and across the campus.

 

“So what did your mom say about those pics?” I asked, burying my hands in my hoodie. We were a couple weeks away from winter break, and the cold had really set in.

 

“She kinda freaked out,” he said and I looked up at him in alarm. “In a good way, don’t worry. She thinks you’re the best thing to happen to me since I learned to walk.”

 

“Well she’s not wrong,” I said teasingly.

 

He rolled his eyes at me, but I saw him grinning.

 

“Are you going home for winter break?” he asked.

 

“Nah. My mom is going on a cruise with her boyfriend this year,” I said, a little depressed.

 

“I have to,” Kylo grumbled. “Mom is making me go to some stupid government ball thing.”

 

“You? At a ball?” I said disbelievingly.

 

I laughed at the thought of Kylo standing in some corner dressed in a tux and moping while government officials drank and filled the air with their snobbery.

 

“I hate going to social functions,” he said. “But she’s making me.”

 

“Sucks for you,” I said. “Send me a picture of you in your tux.”

 

“She wants me to invite you,” he said, his voice low.

 

I stopped dead in my tracks.

 

“Say what now?” I said.

 

Kylo sighed and ran a hand through his dark curls.

 

“She told me to invite you to the ball,” he said. “She wants to meet you.”

 

“And…what did you say?” I asked warily.

 

“I said that I would try to bring you, but you might have plans with your own family,” he said, staring into my eyes. I stared back. I saw desperation and a plea for help. He clearly did not want to go to this ball thing by himself. “Look, I get it if you don’t want to go. I just hate these stupid functions an thought it might be a little more bearable if you were there.”

 

To say that shocked me would be an understatement. I was….touched. Kylo thought my company wasn’t just tolerable, but in fact an improvement. My stomach flipped, and my lips stretched wide in a smile.

 

“Forget I asked,” he said roughly, misunderstanding my expression. “It was stupid.”

 

“I’ll go,” I said quickly.

 

“Really?” he asked, shocked.

 

“Yeah,” I said, nonchalantly. “Why not? Better than sticking around here by myself.”

 

 

“You’d have to come up to my parent’s house. You’d have to stay the Christmas weekend,” he said warningly.

 

“Okay…” I said slowly. “I suppose I can do that.”

 

“Seriously?” he asked skeptically. “You’re willing to pretend to be my girlfriend and meet my parents for a whole weekend?”

 

“Sure. But you owe me one,” I said warningly. “Well, actually you already owed me one, so now you’ll owe me two, and I never forget to cash in my favors.”

 

To my utter surprise, Kylo fucking Ren hugged me. I stood frozen to the spot as he wrapped his huge arms around me and embraced me. He smelled like clean laundry and something….masculine. It was a very pleasing smell.

 

“HEY!” I yelled as he lifted me up into the air like I weighed nothing. “KYLO PUT ME DOWN!”

 

“You are an awesome friend, do you know that?” he asked, grinning as I fought against him.

 

“Dude, I’m happy we’re sharing this bonding moment, but could we do it with my feet on the ground!?” I shouted.

 

He set me down and continued to smile down at me. I rolled my eyes at him, but I couldn’t stay mad at that face. Damn him and his adorable smile.

 

“Whatever,” I said. “Let’s get inside and eat.”

 

He followed me into the café and we took a booth in the corner. I ordered a cheeseburger and fries. When the waiter asked what he wanted, Kylo responded with a “I’ll take two of whatever she gets.”

 

“Damn, hungry much? Their burgers are pretty big here,” I said.

 

“I’m a big guy. I need fuel,” he said shrugging.

 

I shook my head at him and betted myself he wouldn’t eat it all.

20 minutes later I gaped across the table at him in shock as I was proven wrong.

 

“What?” he asked, popping his last fry into his mouth.

 

“Uh…nothing,” I said shaking my head.

 

I reached for the bill, but Kylo beat me to it.

 

“I can pay for mine,” I protested, but he silenced me with a look.

 

“I got it,” he said, slipping a couple bills onto the table.

 

“Well, thanks,” I said. “I’ll get it next time.”

 

“No you won’t,” he said simply.

 

I rolled my eyes at him, following him out of the restaurant. We walked in silence for a few minutes before the sound of giggling made me look up.

_Seriously? What does he have a tracker on me or something? This isn’t a tiny university. Why the hell does he turn up everywhere I go?!_

 

Kit and his girlfriend were a few feet away, coming towards us on the sidewalk. Oblivious to our presence, I watched him grab the skank’s ass. She giggled and batted him away in fake protest. It was a revolting scene to behold.

Kylo looked down at me and saw the dark expression on my face.

 

“Here, I’ve got an idea,” he said, and he pushed me against the brick wall next to the side walk.

 

“What are you doing?” I asked, my eyes wide with surprise.

 

“Just trust me. He’ll hate this,” he whispered low in his throat.

 

Kylo stepped closer to me, his large figure towering over me. I swallowed nervously, trying to ignore the rapid beating of my heart. He stopped inches from my face, his eyes asking for permission. Understanding, I gave him a jerky nod and closed my eyes.

 

His lips met mine, tentative but softer than anything I could have imagined. A warmth seeped through his lips, warming my body until I could no longer feel the chill in the air. After a few seconds, I began to respond. I moved my lips against his, suddenly unafraid. This….this was enjoyable. Hell, this was more than enjoyable…this was pure bliss. It was like my body was getting a very long overdue dose of something I hadn’t known I had been craving. I pressed my lips harder against his.

 

I gasped as one of his hands wound through my hair, pressing me closer to him. I moaned and wrapped my arms around his neck to get better leverage. His tongue flicked across my lips imploringly and I opened my mouth a little wider to give him access. His tongue moved with grace and finesse.

_God damn he was a good kisser._

 

With a mind of it’s own, my leg lifted and wrapped itself around Kylo’s waist. He put a hand on my thigh, steadying me against him. I could feel myself being pressed up against the wall harder now, but I didn’t care. I needed more of this, more of him.

 

“The fuck?”

 

Kit’s voice broke the silence and Kylo and I broke apart like we had been doused with cold water. I looked around and saw Kit and his girlfriend standing mere feet from us.

 

“Evening, Warren,” he said, grinning at Kit in a devil may care sort of way. “Didn’t see you there.”

 

“Obviously,” Kit spat, his voice full of menace.

 

He was glaring at Kylo as if he wanted to punch him, but as Kylo was several inches taller than him and much more muscular, he thought better of it. He gave me a searching stare, and I saw something in his eyes. Longing, maybe? Lust?

 

“Come on Kit, I’m cold,” blondie whined. “Let’s go.”

 

“Yeah….okay,” Kit said, not tearing his eyes away from me.

 

I shot Kit a smug grin. Kit scowled but hurried away from us, looking as though he still kind of wanted to punch Kylo. When they turned the corner and were out of sight, I looked up at Kylo grinning.

 

“Dude…you are a really good kisser,” I said impressed.

 

Kylo turned and walked away so fast, I didn’t even have time to blush.


	5. Comfort

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *throws confetti*  
> Have some fluff and angst! It makes the story go 'round!

My nerves were frazzled, to say the least. I mean, I had made out with Kylo Ren for fuck’s sake! And what was more bizarre, I had enjoyed it… _immensely_. I tried to keep my mind off it, distracting myself with homework and sketching in my sketchbook like a mad woman, but in the long hours I lay awake at night, my mind kept replaying that night over and over. How his hands felt, touching my skin. How powerful he had been, and how I had responded with such a primal instinct. I had wanted to tear his black jacket from his shoulders, wanted to press myself against him so hard that I wouldn’t be able to tell where I ended and he began.   


Sure, I had sex before. Kit could testify to that. We had been together for 4 years after all, and I was not one for celibacy. But in all the years I had hooked up with Kit, I had certainly never even come close to feeling that primal, savage passion I had felt in Kylo’s arms. He confused me and fascinated me all at the same time. I couldn’t stop thinking about him, wondering why he had run away so quickly. Did he regret kissing me? Was I that terrible at it? Sure I was out of practice, but I didn’t think I was THAT bad. I hadn’t seen him since that night, and I felt myself growing more depressed with each passing day.

 

“What is with you?” Aayla asked, shaking me out of my daydreams of a dark alley and a tall pale man pinning me against the wall.

 

“What do you mean?” I asked, not looking up from my sketchbook that was propped up against my knees.

 

We were in my dorm just hanging out. Usually we would be outside sitting in the courtyard, but the frigid temperatures had driven us inside.

 

“You’ve seemed kind of out of it the past couple days. Did something happen with Kit?” she asked.

 

“Not really. Well sort of,” I said frowning down at my sketchbook. I couldn’t get the eyes quite right. “Actually, I’ve been meaning to tell you something.”

 

I gave her a general overview of the events of that night with Kylo. I told her about how I had agreed to meet his parents and go to a social ball with him, though I was careful to leave out his mother’s true identity. I had promised Kylo I wouldn’t tell anyone he was the son of Leia Organa, and I keep my promises. I just made it sound like his parents were rich and they were throwing a winter formal type of event.

I told her about the intense make out session in front of Kit, though I left out the parts about how amazing it felt and how I was disappointed when Kylo had turned tail and run off. When I was finished, she stared at me in a mixture of alarm and admiration.

 

 

 

“First of all, holy shit. You made out with Kylo Ren! How was it?” Aayla said, her eyes wide. “Second of all, you’re going to a ball with him? Like some Cinderella shit?

Lastly, how did Kit look when he caught you making out with Kylo!?”

 

I laughed at her enthusiasm. I should have told her about this ages ago, but I had been too busy analyzing it all myself.

 

“Okay, to answer your first two questions, he is a seriously good kisser so it was….pleasant. And yeah, I’m doing him another favor by going to that social function thing, but I’m going to try and keep both my shoes on unlike Cinderella. I actually need your help with that. I have nothing to wear and you know how terrible I am at dress shopping,” I said, thinking I would need to get something really nice if I were going to meet Leia freaking Organa.

 

“Of course I’ll help you,” she said dismissively. “But what about Kit?”

 

“Kit looked pissed off,” I said with a smile, thinking back on his expression. “I’d even say a little jealous.”

 

“Looks like Kylo knows what he’s doing then. You’ll have Kit crawling back to you in no time,” Aayla said with a wink.

 

“Yeah…I’m not so sure about Kit anymore. Now that I step back and look….Kit’s kind of a dick,” I said with a frown. “He didn’t used to be like that…but well. That day he

called me sad and pathetic really made me see how much he’s changed.”

 

“So you’re finally over him?” she asked shocked.

 

“No…..but…I think I’m getting there,” I said softly.

 

 

 

 

Aayla and I made plans to go dress shopping that Saturday. Of course, I hadn’t heard from Kylo in 3 days, so I wasn’t sure if I should even bother picking up something to wear if he insisted on giving me the silent treatment.

 

My classes ended the next day, and to my surprise, I passed them all with decent marks. Deciding to celebrate my grades, I made my way across campus towards the pub in search of a beer. I was sitting alone at the bar sipping my beer, when I felt someone nudge my shoulder.

 

“Hey,” Kit said, taking the seat next to me.

 

“Hi,” I said, looking around and seeing he was alone. “Where’s your girlfriend?”

 

“Jess isn’t my girlfriend,” Kit sighed.

 

“Could have fooled me,” I said shrugging.

 

“Where’s your boyfriend?” Kit asked.

 

“Not really sure,” I replied. “Probably at his place.”

 

Kit nodded and ordered a beer from the bartender. He took a sip of it before turning back to me.

 

“So how have you been?”

 

“Okay, I guess,” I said, wondering why on earth he was talking to me when he had spent the majority of the semester pretending I didn’t exist.

 

“You and Ren seem to be getting…..cozy,” he said, his expression dark.

 

I took another sip of beer, choosing to remain silent.

 

“About the other night Siri….he wasn’t like, taking advantage of you or anything was he?”

 

I coughed, choking on my beer.

 

“What? Why would you think that?” I sputtered.  


“The guy was all over you. He had you pinned to the freaking wall!” Kit said frowning.

 

“We may have been getting a little carried away, but trust me it was definitely willing,” I said, feeling a blush spread across my cheeks.  


“Oh,” Kit said, scowling even deeper. “I guess I just thought…..I don’t know. You and I never made out hardcore in public like that…It just looked like he was kind of attacking you.”

 

“Well, thanks for the concern…but I can handle myself,” I said, smirking.

 

Ok, I’ll admit it. I was feeling pretty smug right about now. It was true, Kit had once made me weak in the knees and we had been pretty hot and heavy for a while….but even Kit knew that he had never elicited such a passionate and savage response from me like Kylo had.

 

“Can you?” he asked.

 

“What is that supposed to mean, Kit?” I asked.

 

“Seriously, Siri? Out of all of the guys you could have chosen, you decided to hook up with Kylo Ren?” Kit asked, frowning at me.

 

“What’s wrong with Kylo?” I asked.

 

“He’s kind of a freak,” Kit said with a grin. “I mean, you’ve heard the rumors. They say the reason he transferred over here was because he killed a guy at his last school and his parents had to pay off the police to keep it quiet.”

 

“You shouldn’t believe everything you hear,” I said angrily. “Kylo is a great guy—“

 

“He’s dangerous,” Kit interrupted. “He could seriously hurt you Siri. A guy like that can only want one thing and once he’s tired of you, he’ll just throw you out like you’re nothing.”

 

“Well that’s an interesting thought….considering that’s exactly what you did,” I replied angrily.

 

“Come on, you know that was different. We were happy for a long time,” Kit sighed.

 

He placed a hand on mine. His skin used to feel so normal and welcome on mine, but now it felt foreign and cold after such a long time apart.

 

“Ren can’t love you like I did,” Kit said softly, his blue eyes boring into mine. “I know what you need.”

 

I wrenched my hand back from him as white hot fury coursed through me.

 

“No, you don’t,” I spat. “I needed someone there for me when shit got really rough. I needed to know I wasn’t alone in it. I needed to feel loved and supported. But where were you? Off chasing after some piece of ass that was more attractive than me.”

 

I shot to my feet and threw some cash onto the bar.

 

“You never cared about what I really needed. I see that now,” I said my voice oddly calm. “Merry Christmas, Kit.”

 

And with that I stormed out of the bar.

 

Tears sprang into the corners of my eyes, unwilling and uninvited. I had spent over 4 years thinking that Kit was exactly what I needed, but it was only now I realized even when I was with the guy, I had felt alone. He had never really been there when I needed someone to cry on. He had pushed me off when I got too emotional. And then when the shit really hit the fan, and I was really in need of him, he had taken off without a word like I hadn’t even mattered. Surely, that wasn’t love. No, Kit had never truly loved me. No one had.

 

Tears fell freely down my face as I broke into a run across the campus. I needed to get away from him. I needed to get away from the four long years I had wasted crawling after someone who really hadn’t loved me as he had claimed. I felt unwanted and unloved and so miserably and desperately alone.

 

“Oh!” I gasped as I ran into someone tall and hard.

 

“Woah, kid!” Kylo exclaimed, placing his hands on my shoulders to keep me from falling backwards. “What’s the hurry?”

 

“Nothing,” I said, hastily wiping my eyes.

 

Kylo gave me a searching look, his eyes lingering on my tears.

 

“You okay, kid?” he asked.

 

“Fine. I guess I wasn’t looking where I was going,” I said, trying to hide my eyes.

 

“What happened?” he asked.

 

“Nothing. It doesn’t matter,” I said quickly.

 

“Bullshit. You’re crying,” he said simply.

 

“No, I’m not. It’s just allergies,” I protested, wiping my eyes again knowing they had to be bloodshot.

 

“Right. And I’m the queen of England,” he said rolling his eyes. “Come on, kid. Let’s take a walk.”

 

Giving me no chance to protest, he placed a hand on my shoulder and led me down the sidewalk into the courtyard. The courtyard was filled with trees, no bare from the winter cold. We walked along in silence, and I took comfort in Kylo’s presence even if we didn’t speak. It was nice to not be so alone. We stopped at the low brick wall and sat down on top of it. The drying tears froze on my face, biting in the cold air. I shivered.

 

Wordlessly, Kylo removed a thick black scarf from around his neck and began wrapping me up in it. It was warm and it smelled like him.

 

“Thanks,” I said, touched by his thoughtfulness.

 

 

“Don’t mention it,” he said, tucking the scarf into my hoodie. His eyes lingered on my tear streaked face. “So what did he do?”

 

“Who?” I asked.

 

“Warren. I’m not good with….uh emotions, but even I know when a girl cries that hard it’s usually over some guy,” he said, staring at my face. “So what happened?”

 

I sighed. For someone so socially impaired he was pretty good at picking up on my problems.

 

“I just……I just realized that I wasted 4 years of my life with someone who never really loved me in the first place,” I said miserably. “And then another year and a half trying to get him back.”

 

“That….that’s tough,” he said softly. “I’m sorry.”

 

“Thanks,” I sighed. “I just….I just want to be loved by someone, you know? Don’t I deserve that?”

 

“Of course you do,” he said firmly. “If anyone deserves love, you do.”

 

“What do you mean?” I asked looking at him in confusion.

 

“Look, I’m not oblivious to the rumors around here….about me. I know what people think of me…but you were still willing to help someone like me, without payment, without a second thought. You’re a good person, Siri. If anyone around here deserves happiness, it’s you,” Kylo said seriously. “That Warren guys is a fucking moron for not loving someone like you.”

 

I stared at him, tears welling up again. Of all the people in the world, Kylo fucking Ren was here, comforting me when I was feeling so vulnerable. Here he was, offering words of kindness and telling me I deserved to be loved.

Leaning over, I buried my face in his chest and brought my arms around him, hugging him closely.

 

“Thank you, Kylo,” I whispered.

 

I felt him tense beneath me. Clearly, he still wasn’t completely comfortable with affectionate displays. Still, he patted me awkwardly on the back and I smiled up at him.

 

“So….enough with the waterworks,” I said pulling back and brushing off the remaining tears. “I’m glad I ran into you…literally. I need to know more information about the fancy party thing. I know you said it was formal, but how formal are we talking?”

 

“Uh….black tie kind of formal?” he said. “Mom makes me wear a tux.”

 

“Ok, so pretty much as formal as it gets then,” I said with a nod. “I’m going shopping this weekend, so I needed to know what to look for.”

 

“You don’t have to buy anything,” Kylo said with a scoff. “Honestly, you could wear sweatpants and I wouldn’t care.”

 

“Hmm… I’m pretty sure I’d look stupid next to you in your tux,” I said with a grin.

 

“I’ll find something presentable…or I’ll just go naked. That would cause some excitement.”

 

“Well if you’re going naked, then I am,” he said, grinning wickedly. “Wouldn’t want you to feel uncomfortable.”

 

“We’ll definitely turn a few heads,” I said, wagging a brow suggestively. “If you know what I mean.”

 

Kylo laughed loudly, and I watched his face light up like it had that first night I was at his apartment. I smiled, watching the way the corners of his eyes crinkled up. I could gladly spend the rest of my life trying to make Kylo Ren laugh, just so I could see him smile like this.


	6. Arrival

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO SORRY FOR THE LACK OF UPDATES!!  
> Classes have been killing me slowly!  
> However, thanks to a very kind review I received, I really got the motivation to write the next chapter!  
> I cannot express how much love I've been receiving over this story and it really means a lot to me you guys!  
> LOVE YOU ALL!!!
> 
> P.S. Yes, Threy is in fact based off of C3PO :p

KYLO REN: I’m outside.

SIRI FARO: Be down in a second.

I looked around the room nervously, searching for anything I might have forgotten. My stomach twisted anxiously. I could do this. I promised Kylo I would. I just had to pretend to be madly in love with him for one weekend. Wouldn’t be that hard, right? Might even be easy, considering… I shook those thoughts away. Now was not the time to think about my very confusing feelings towards Mr. Tall-Dark-and-Moody.  
After confirming I had everything, I threw the heavy bag over my shoulder and headed out the door. 

Kylo was standing beside his Jag waiting. He took my bag from me, ignoring my protests, and loaded it into the trunk. I sighed and got in the front seat.

“So how long is this drive?” I asked as he pulled away from the curb.

“About 4 hours,” he said looking sullen.

I whistled in surprise. 

“You don’t look excited,” I said frowning at him. 

“I’m not,” he sighed. “My parents and I…..we don’t see eye to eye, so be prepared for that. I’ll try to keep you out of the majority of it, but don’t be surprised if we end up arguing. It’s pretty much a tradition when I come home.” 

“What do you fight about?” I asked.

“They want me to be someone I’m not,” he said, gripping the steering wheel tight, his jaw clenching.

“I understand. My mom wanted me to be a nurse like her,” I said. 

“What do you want to do?” he asked.

“I want to see the world,” I said. “Maybe sell my art for a living…I just want to get   
away from here.”

“I still haven’t seen your art yet,” he said.

“I brought my sketchbook,” I said with a shrug. “Maybe I’ll let you take a look at a few drawings later. What about you? What do you want to do?”

“I don’t really know,” he said shrugging. “I just want to be able to choose something for myself. I’m tired of them always choosing for me.”

“What do they want you to do?” 

“My mother wants me to go into politics like her,” he sighed. “But I hate politics.”

“And your dad?” 

“I don’t see him much,” Kylo said shortly, his expression full of hate. 

“Are your parents divorced?” 

“No…but my father is away a lot for work. He doesn’t come home often,” he said darkly. “Enough about my parentage. What about you? Any brothers or sisters?”

I could tell the subject of his childhood was bothering him, so I let it drop. We spent the next hour or so discussing my childhood instead. I told him how my father had died when I was very young, leaving my mother to raise me and my older sister. I wasn’t close to my family. During high school, I kind of raised myself. My sister had moved away and my mother was always either working or spending time with her new boyfriend. 

I had been so lonely during those years; so desperate for company and affection. Then I had met Kit. Kylo was very interested to hear about my relationship with Kit. I told him how we met in high school and instantly fell in love. I told him all about how we spend 4 years together in bliss. Kit had been my everything. He was handsome and sweet and best of all he took away that loneliness that threatened to consume me. 

“So what happened between you guys?” he asked.

“Well, we went to college together like we planned. It was great. Everything was sunshine and rainbows until last year…He came up to me one day out of the blue and said he found someone else… so he left me for her,” I said, my voice growing depressed. 

“Just like that?” Kylo asked shocked. 

“Yep,” I sighed. “She was prettier than me, skinnier, taller. So he just traded up. They didn’t last long before he traded her in too for someone else. I think he’s on his third or fourth since me.”

“And you still want to be with this asshole?” he exclaimed outraged. “Why?”

 

“I don’t know what I want anymore,” I said in a small voice. “Everything has become so….complicated. I just don’t want to be alone anymore.”

“Maybe it’s better to be alone,” Kylo said, not taking his eyes from the road. “No one can hurt you.”

“I’m not good at being alone,” I said, shaking my head. “That’s part of the reason I agreed to help you out this weekend. The thought of sitting alone in that dorm room during Christmas was seriously depressing.”

“Well, I don’t know how much better it will be with my family kid, but…I’m glad you’re with me,” he said.

 

“Wake up kid, we’re here,” Kylo said, shaking me awake.

“Shit! I didn’t mean to fall asleep,” I yelped, sitting up quickly. I took a glance out the window and my mouth fell open.

We were driving down a long curved concrete driveway. Dark green hedges lined either side. A huge mansion loomed before us, showering us in its shadow. Three stories high, it was all dark grey bricks accentuated with towering white pillars. 

Several chimneys peeked out from behind the roof, and there was a large crescent moon balcony placed high above the huge double doors.

“Holy shit, Kylo,” I breathed as he pulled the car around a huge marble fountain. 

“Yeah, I know,” he grumbled, sounding not at hall happy to be home. 

I got out of the car, still gaping open mouthed at the extravagance of it all. What would it be like to grow up here? I hadn’t stepped a foot inside yet, but I already felt like I was ruining the place with my faded jeans and off-brand black pea coat.

“I should have dressed better,” I said, feeling very self conscious.

“You look fine,” Kylo said dismissively, coming around the car with both our bags thrown over one broad shoulder.

Snow had begun to fall softly around us. I shivered against the cold and followed him up the marble steps, my stomach in knots. He stopped in front of the double doors and sighed heavily.

“Ready for this?” he asked, offering me his hand.

“Nope,” I replied shakily, taking his hand and squeezing it.

Chuckling softly, he rang the doorbell. 

An old man answered the door wearing a black suit and tie. He was bald, except for a patch of white hair around his ears. He looked very proper, but he greeted us with a kind smile.

“Ah, Master Ben! How wonderful it is to see you again. We were wondering when you would turn up,” he said. “Do come in out of the cold.”

“It’s Kylo now, Threy,” Kylo said dully, leading me into the foyer. 

Marble floors shone brightly as if they had just been polished. A huge winding staircase snaked up the right side, and heavy marble pillars adorned the archways leading to other rooms from either side. A large crystal chandelier hung above us, glittering warmly. One thing was for sure, I would have to stick close to Kylo this weekend or I would definitely end up getting lost.

“My apologies, sir. Old habits do die hard. And this must be your charming young companion, Ms. Faro,” Threy said smiling warmly at me. “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I must say we were ever so pleased when we learned you would be staying with us during the holiday. If there is anything I can do to make your stay more comfortable, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Oh…uh thank you,” I said going slightly pink.

He smiled kindly at me again.

“I’ll go find your mother, shall I?” Threy said to Kylo, and he headed off through the right archway.

“I didn’t know you had a butler,” I whispered to Kylo.

“Threy’s been working for my family since before I was born,” Kylo said with a shrug. “And you don’t have to whisper.”

“Sorry. This place is just so…wow,” I said looking around.

“If you say so,” he sighed. “I hate being back here.”

“Ben?” a voice echoed through the room.

We turned around, still holding hands. A regal looking woman was standing in the archway. She was close to my height, certainly several inches shorter than her son. She was wearing a beautiful dark grey gown that looked like it cost more than entire wardrobe. Her grey hair was done in an intricate braided bun that knotted in the back. She wore a necklace of pearls, and several gems glittered on her fingers. She strode towards us, smiling widely.

“Mother,” Kylo said formally.

She embraced Kylo in a swift hug. He froze for a second, but then put a reluctant arm around her. I smiled at the sight of Kylo hugging his mom. Kylo smirked at me over his mother’s shoulder. 

“Mother,” Kylo said breaking apart from the older woman. “This is Siri”

I held out my hand politely. She smiled at me and embraced me in a warm hug, much like she had with Kylo. I hugged her back gently.

“It is so nice to finally meet you dear,” she said, breaking away from me. “Ben has told me so much about you.”

“Has he?” I asked, looking at Kylo in surprise.

He rolled his eyes at me.

“Oh yes! He even sent me a few pictures of you together but I must say you are even more beautiful in person,” she said, giving me a onceover.

“Oh…thank you Senator Organa,” I said, blushing furiously. 

“Please, call me Leia,” she said waving a hand dismissively. “I can’t tell you how pleased I am to have you with us this weekend. But you must be tired after such a long drive. Ben, why don’t you show her to your room so you can both freshen up before dinner?”

“My room?” Kylo asked, his brows furrowed. “Shouldn’t I show her to a guest room?”

“Ben, I am not oblivious to the way the world works nowadays,” Leia said with a knowing smile. “I have no objections to you two sharing your bed.”

If I thought I had been blushing before, it was nothing to the heat I felt in my face now. I must have been tomato red. Even Kylo looked uncomfortable and surprised.

“Of….of course,” he stuttered. “I’ll show her to my room. Thank you, mother.”

Leia smiled again and winked suggestively at me.

Kylo took my hand and lead me up the winding staircase to the third floor. We walked along the hallway for some time before stopping at a door. He opened it and ushered me inside. 

The room was huge, much like his apartment. A king size canopy bed sat in the center of the room, covered in black satin. A fireplace adorned one wall, and large glass doors occupied another, leading out onto a private balcony. There were two doors that I supposed lead to the bathroom and a closet. A huge flat screen TV sat atop a black dresser across from the bed.

“So….what are we going to do?” I asked quietly.

“I…I can sleep on the floor,” he said, setting our bags down. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think she would let us share a room. It seems she’s more accommodating than I thought.”

“It’s okay. I mean it’s just for one weekend…and we’re both adults,” I said trying hard to sound nonchalant. “You don’t have to sleep on the floor.”

Silence spread between us. Eager for something to distract myself from the thought of sleeping next to Kylo’s huge form, I started looking around his room curiously. On the mantelpiece above the fireplace there were pictures of what must have been Kylo growing up. There was Kylo, no older than 8, with his mother, both smiling happily at the beach. There he was dressed up in a suit, maybe 13, his mother’s arms wrapped around him. There he was maybe 15 years old building some kind of rocket with a handsome man that had to be his father. I looked at this picture longer than the others. He really looked a lot like his father.

“I forgot those pictures were there,” he said uncomfortably.

“You were a cute kid,” I said smiling mischievously. “What happened?”

He rolled his eyes at me, but I saw he was grinning slightly. 

I flashed him a smile and continued my inspection of his room. There were tons of books on the shelves, mostly about space exploration I noticed. I grinned at the thought of Kylo as a little boy, pouring over these books, dreaming of becoming an astronaut. 

“The bathroom is in here,” Kylo said, opening the door to the left.

I strode forwards and peeked my head inside.

“Holy shit!” I breathed staring at the huge marble tub.

 

It was deep enough for two people to fit in comfortably. A walk in shower stood in one corner, and a huge sink and mirrors was placed along one wall. The bathroom alone was as big as my entire dorm room.

“There are towels in here,” Kylo said, opening a cabinet and showing me a number of plush white towels. 

“Damn, you could swim in this tub!” I exclaimed, still obsessing over how huge it was.

“Maybe you could, kid,” he said, flashing me a grin. “I don’t think I can manage that anymore….but we do have an indoor pool if you feel like swimming.”

“Of course you do,” I said blankly. 

How huge was this place?

“There’s a reason I chose this room,” he said, leaving the bathroom and crossing his room towards the glass doors.

I followed him out onto the high balcony and gasped. 

The view was spectacular. The garden lay below us, a winding forest of green shrubbery and tinkling streams of water. It was decorated with white Christmas lights, making the already spectacular garden look ethereal and surreal. Even in the winter, the garden was meticulously kept up. I could spot several fountains as well here and there, peeking out from the greenery. But it wasn’t the gardens that took my breath away. 

Through the steadily falling snow, I saw in the distance, large snow capped mountains looming over us like massive watchers of the land. I could imagine what the hills looked like in the summer. Rolling green hills as far as the eye could see. For now, they were white with snow and a bitter cold wind swept my hair back as I stared across at the vastness. 

“It’s the only part of this place that makes me feel….peaceful,” Kylo said, his voice low as he stared across the valley.

“I can see why,” I breathed, staring up at him. “If I had a view like this I’d never want to leave it.”

“I used to sleep out here, during the summer,” he said, glancing at me. “I used to scare my mom half to death. She was convinced I’d fall off somehow during the night.”

 

“It would take more than a three story drop to break that thick head of yours,” I said with a wicked grin. 

“Keep it up kid and I might throw you off,” he said moodily, but I saw he was smiling.

“Some boyfriend you are!” I said in mock outrage. “Ten minutes in your home and you threaten to murder your loyal, adoring girlfriend! Some welcome that would be!”

“Hmm…maybe your right,” he said, his voice low and his dark eyes staring at me mischievously. He took a step closer towards me and brought one hand up to gently caress my cheek. I stood frozen to the spot. I forgot how to breath. I forgot how to speak. All I could do was stare up at Kylo, my heart thumping wildly in my chest.

“I really should give you a much warmer welcome,” he said his voice low.

His face was an inch away from mine. I stared at his lips, hungry and terrified.   
With one quick motion, he scooped up a handful of wet snow from the railing and shoved it down the back of my coat.

“YOU COMPLETE ASS!” I shouted, hopping up and down as it trickled down my back, freezing my skin as it crept lower.

Kylo laughed his head off as I struggled against the icy water. I shoved my coat off and stormed back into the room, Kylo’s laughter still echoing behind me. I ran straight to my bag and dug around in it, looking for a dry shirt to change into.

“Come on, Siri,” Kylo said, still chuckling. “You have to admit that was hilarious.”

“Just you wait,” I shivered, clutching a dry shirt. “I’ll get you back.”

“How’s that?” he asked cockily, sitting on the end of his bed.

“You have to sleep sometime, Kylo,” I said sweetly. “And I have all weekend.”

He smirked at me like he didn’t really believe me. 

With a sudden surge of bravery I didn’t think I had ever possessed, I peeled my cold wet shirt off my body and threw it at Kylo’s face. He didn’t seem to notice it flop into his lap. He was staring at me, shock etched on his face as his eyes raked my half naked body. I smirked at him, eternally grateful I had decided to wear a black bra today. 

Turning away from him, I shrugged on my shirt as I walked across the room

 

“Oh yes…it’s going to be a very long weekend,” I called, before I shut the bathroom door.   
 


	7. Anger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH MY GOD!! I cannot express how thankful I am for the amount of love I have received over this story! It is a dream come true, honestly! I think every writer is their own worst critic, so it means a lot to me when you guys comment and tell me how much you are enjoying it :) You are all the best. I would be nothing without your support :P
> 
> Enjoy this extra long chapter as my thanks ;D
> 
> Also, I changed the formatting. I hope it flows better. Let me know if you hate it. :))
> 
> LOVE YOU GUYS!

Kylo Ren had become a problem.

 

Well, to be fair, it was my stupid feelings for him that were the problem. Though, I wasn’t quite sure what those feelings were. I couldn’t name them. He frustrated me sometimes with his moody demeanor, but I really liked being around him. Kylo was always there when I really needed him. He had comforted me on more than one occasion, and had made me really feel like I wasn’t insignificant. Like I had worth.

 

Then there was the way my body responded when he was close to me. It was strange really. Sure, Kit had made me go weak in the knees, but that was nothing compared to how badly my body malfunctioned around Kylo. I could no longer ignore the way my heart would rapidly increase and the way I seemed to lose the function to breath normally when he was inches away from me. And all that was just from being to close to the guy! I could only imagine how I would react if I ever got the chance to get closer.

 

Indeed, no matter how I tried, I couldn’t stop thinking of the night he had kissed me. How my blood burned incredibly hot and in that instance I had magically transformed into a savage lust-filled creature. Just thinking about the feel of his strong hands on my body, the possessive way he had towered over me, his intense gaze…it was enough to awaken certain parts of me that hadn’t seen any attention in quite some time.

 

All of these feelings confused the ever loving shit out of me. Was it just some intense lust I felt for him? Or maybe it was something more… I didn’t know. All I knew, was the lines were beginning to blur between pretend and reality. I didn’t know what I was actually feeling, or just pretending to feel. And it scared the hell out of me.

 

Which was why I was staring into the mirror with such wide eyes and short breaths.

 

“Come on, girl,” I whispered to my reflection. “Just get it together. He’s just a guy.”

 

_A guy that you really shouldn’t be falling for, given that he definitely doesn’t want you like that. He’s only pretending to love you, remember?_

 

“Hey kid?” Kylo’s voice echoed through the closed bathroom door. “You ready to go back down? It’s almost time for dinner.”

 

“Yeah, be out in a second,” I called.

 

I sighed and tried to straighten my appearance to one that looked more composed and confidant. I could do this. I had promised Kylo I would. I just had to ignore that pointless and increasing urge I had to jump his bones every time I saw him. I could totally do that….right?

 

With another sigh, I left the bathroom and made my way out to where Kylo was waiting.

 

“Ready?” I asked, plastering a fake grin on my face.

 

“Not really…..but I guess we should go anyways,” he sighed heavily.

 

“Oh, come on you big baby,” I said taking his arm and leading him out into the hall. “It’s just dinner. How bad can it be?”

 

He didn’t say anything in response, he just gave me a dark look which I pointedly ignored.

 

 

 

Twenty minutes later, we were seated at the end of a huge table meant for at least ten. The dining room was done in the same black, white, and grey colors as the foyer had been. The table shone dark mahogany and the chairs were high backed, but rather comfortable. Of course, another huge chandelier hung above us, making the wine glasses sparkle cheerfully. The walls were lined with huge windows, providing an excellent view out onto the sparkling gardens.

 

I sat beside Kylo, his mother across from us. I noticed there was a place that looked as though it had been saved, perhaps for Kylo’s father, but I hadn’t seen him so far. Dinner consisted of filet mignon and roasted vegetables which tasted as though they had been sent straight to us from heaven. The meat was seasoned perfectly it took a lot of self control to keep me from moaning as I took each bite.

 

Leia asked me questions about myself while we ate. I answered them nervously, worrying that she would deem me unworthy of her son, but the more I told her about myself, the more she seemed to love me. Leia was such a kind hearted woman, I really couldn’t see why Kylo hated coming home.

 

The talk turned towards the winter ball that would take place the following evening in the ballroom. Of course they had a ballroom. I don’t know why it surprised me. The place was huge. At this point I half expected them to tell me that they had a private helicopter out back.

 

“It’s a traditional event,” Leia explained. “All the senators and their families come to celebrate the holidays. I’m so glad you’re here to keep Ben company. He’s always so grouchy at formal occasions like this.”

 

“I hate faking interest in the lives of the corrupt,” Kylo said morosely.

 

“Ben,” Leia sighed. “I’ll admit that a few are not what they claim to be, but a lot of these people are wonderful once you get to know them. I do wish you would make more of an effort. It hasn’t gone unnoticed that you aren’t exactly involved in our government.”

 

“Like I care,” he scoffed. “I don’t want to be involved with them. They’re all a bunch of hypocrites and money hungry fools.”

 

“Many of them, like myself for example, just want to make a difference in the world. Politics is an excellent way to make changes and better many peoples lives,” Leia argued. “And I know you have a wonderful mind for such things if you would only apply yourself.”

 

“I’ve told you, I don’t want to be a politician,” Kylo said, his jaw clenched.

 

“Then what do you want to be?” Leia sighed. “If I knew you had a set goal, I wouldn’t push you into my career. I worry about you, about where you’ll end up.”

 

“Why do you think everything in life has to be planned out?” Kylo asked, his voice rising slightly. “Maybe I just want to see what else is out there before I figure out what I want to do!”

 

“I just want you to be stable,” Leia said, and there was a sad quality to her voice. “I won’t be around forever you know.”

 

“Well, I’m already used to that seeing as you weren’t around a lot as a kid,” Kylo retorted angrily.

 

Leia looked as if she had been slapped.

 

“Kylo…” I began.

 

“Where is father?” Kylo interrupted.

 

“Ben –“ Leia began.

  
“Where is he?” Kylo asked through clenched teeth.

 

“He tried to make it home for Christmas, really he did…but he’s extremely busy right now with work and –“ she began.

 

“Of course he is,” Kylo spat with venom.

 

“Kylo, he really did try to make it,” Leia said pleadingly.

 

“Like he _tries_ every year? Doesn’t matter. I don’t want to see him,” Kylo said darkly.

 

“Kylo, your father loves you,” Leia said, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

 

“No, he doesn’t. It’s been a long time since he loved anyone but himself,” Kylo spat, getting to his feet and with one quick stride he was storming out of the dining room.

 

I sat there, stunned at how the pleasant dinner conversation had turned into a nightmare so quickly.

  
Leia visibly sagged in her chair, a few tears spilling over. Quickly, I got up from my chair and put a comforting arm around her.

 

“Oh, dear, I am so sorry you had to see that,” she said, her voice thick with despair.

 

“It’s alright,” I said gently. “Every family has their problems. You should see my mom and me when we get together. Sometimes it turns into a total cat fight.”

 

“He’s a good boy, he really is,” she said her eyes wide as if she were trying to beg me to understand. “He’s always had a bit of a temper on him, but he’s really a sweet boy underneath….”

 

“I know he is,” I told her, honestly. “And…he may not always show it but I know he loves you.”

 

“I should have been there for him more when he was growing up,” Leia confessed. “He’s right about that. I just got caught up in my career…and well I regret it now so much. I’ve been trying to make up for it these past few years but he just won’t let me in. And as for his father…well....”

 

While hearing all these personal family confessions embarrassed me, I couldn’t help but feel curious as well. I was getting actual information on Kylo, and as much as I wanted to respect his privacy, I also wanted to know more about him.

 

“You don’t have to explain anything to me,” I said softly.

 

“No, I want you to understand why he insists on being so isolated,” she said. “You see, when Ben was a boy he and his father were very close. They would do everything together. Honestly, I was a little jealous of how close those two were. Han didn’t work then. He gave up his work when he became a father. Han never complained, but I knew he missed it. One day he was offered the job of his dreams and I urged him to take it. I knew it would make him happy….and well… I won’t pretend that things were great between us. We’ve always had our issues and I thought it might help… It was perhaps the worst mistake I have ever made, urging him to take that job. Ever since then, Han has been consumed by his work, staying gone for weeks and even months at a time. And Ben has never been the same since. He took his father leaving as a sign that Han no longer wanted him. Ben started to withdraw from everyone. I think Ben believes that if he doesn’t get close to anyone, then no one can hurt him like his father did.”

 

I sat there stunned. I had wanted to know more about Kylo, but this…this was some shit I wasn’t sure a sarcastic remark or a witty joke would fix. He had some major daddy issues; as well as some mommy issues tied in there as well. The poor guy had been shunted to one side nearly all his life. It was enough to mess with any kid’s head. I thought I had loneliness issues, but his problems made mine look like a joke.

 

Yet, I could tell that Leia really did regret this and she really did want to be more involved in his life. She wanted to make up for lost time, and she really did love her son.

 

“I am so glad he found you. Knowing that he’s not all alone and that he has you brings me great comfort,” Leia said softly. “Perhaps you can talk to him, make him understand how sorry I am and how much I love him. He’ll listen to you.”

 

“I… I’m not sure that he will,” I began.

 

Leia gave me a pleading stare and I caved.

 

“But I’ll try my best,” I amended.

 

She gave me a weak smile and hugged me tightly.

 

“Thank you, Siri,” Leia said thickly. “It means a lot to me that you would try and help us.”

 

“It’s really no problem,” I muttered, embarrassed at her affection.

 

“Now, unfortunately I have some matters I must take care of before tomorrow night,” Leia said, rising to her feet.

 

“Right, I should probably go find Kylo,” I said, standing as well.

 

“He’s probably in the gym,” Leia said knowingly.

 

“Oh, thanks,” I said. “See you tomorrow then.”

 

“Goodnight dear,” she said, and she left the dining room.

 

With a final swallow of wine for courage, I too left in search of the gym. I guessed it would be on the first floor somewhere so I headed off across the mansion, opening doors here and there. I had been searching for about ten minutes when a voice called out to me.

 

“Can I help you find something, Miss?” Threy asked, appearing behind me suddenly.

 

“Oh!” I jumped. “Oh, yes. I was looking for the gym.”

 

“Ah, yes. I saw Master Ben go in there a bit ago. I’ll show you the way,” Threy said and he began leading me back down the long hall.

 

I wasn’t far off. It was only around the corner. Threy opened a pair of double doors and I saw a moderately sized room filled with workout equipment. Kylo was in the corner, his back to us, destroying a punching bag with his huge fists.

 

“If that will be all miss?” Threy asked.

 

“Oh, yes. Thank you Threy,” I said.

 

I closed the door behind him as he left. I crossed the room tentatively towards Kylo. Kylo moved with a fury that I had never seen on him. For the first time, I could almost see why the rumors had started at school. Blow after blow struck the punching bag and with every hit, Kylo would let out a grunt of frustration.

 

It was scary seeing him this angry…but it was also really hot. Waves of raw power seemed to emanate from his broad shoulders. He had stripped his overcoat and his shirt. His tank top gave me an excellent view of his huge arms, bulging from the strain of his frantic exercise.

 

I leaned against the wall watching him for a time, trying to ignore the heat building between my legs. Finally, he noticed I was there and he stopped hitting the bag.

 

“Hey there Rocky,” I said nervously.

 

“What are you doing in here?” he asked, his voice still filled with anger.

 

“Came to see how you were doing,” I said shrugging. “That was…..some dinner.”

 

“I told you it would be a disaster. It always is,” he grumbled.

 

“I wouldn’t call it a disaster. It could have gone much worse,” I amended. “I could have choked on the steak and died.”

 

I was hoping for a slight grin, but his face remained stony. I sighed.

 

“Listen, Kylo… you guys have your problems, but she does love you. She told me so herself,” I said. “That’s more than some people have.”

 

“So what, you’re a family therapist now?” he sneered at me.

 

“No…but sometimes it takes an outsiders perspective to help things along. Now, I can’t say anything for your dad, because honestly it does sound like he’s a piece of work…but your mom adores you. She wants to be more involved with you.”

 

“A little too late for that!” Kylo spat.

 

“Come on, Kylo,” I protested. “I know you love her. She’s your mother. You only get one.”

 

“You don’t know anything!” he roared, taking a step towards me. “You come in here and act like you’ve got me all figured out, but the truth is you’re just as fucked up inside as I am! At least I can manage being alone, but you’re so desperate for affection, you’d rather have a fake fucking boyfriend than end up alone! Well I don’t need you, I don’t need anyone!”

 

Ice flooded through my veins, numbing me to my core. There was a truth to his words, but to hear him spit out such things with such venom….it was like a knife to the heart. And there were those stupid tears welling up. I couldn’t help it.

 

Kylo’s expression faded from anger to regret as the silence whirled around us. He swallowed hard as a few tears trickled out from the corners of my eyes.

 

“Siri….” he began, but I didn’t want to hear it.

 

I didn’t want to cry in front of him. I didn’t want him to see my weakness. So I ran. I tore out of there, ignoring him when he called after me. I ran to the only place I actually remembered how to get to. Up two flights of stairs and into his bedroom, I through myself out onto the balcony.

 

It was freezing. The wind froze the falling tears on my cheeks, but finally it felt like I could breath again. Finally alone, I let myself really cry. I cried for letting myself get so attached to him, I cried for his pain, and I cried for still wanting him even though he had been a complete asshole to me. It was like Kit all over again, though at least Kylo didn’t know I really cared about him before he caused me such pain.

 

I sat there for over an hour just thinking, letting my pain fall from my eyes and ignoring the frigid temperature. I didn’t even hear him approach until he whispered into the darkness.

 

“Hey kid,” he said softly.

 

Still, I didn’t turn around. I knew my eyes were bloodshot, and I didn’t want him to see that he had such an affect on me.

 

“Kid, you’re gonna freeze to death out here,” he tried again. “Come back inside.”

 

I stubbornly ignored him.

 

He sighed audibly behind me. I smirked to myself.

 

“HEY!” I roared in protest as he scooped me up in his arms and headed back through the doors.

 

“I know you’re pissed at me, but I’m not gonna let you turn into a human popsicle,” he retorted, throwing me on the bed. He proceeded to wrap me up in his thick black comforter.

 

“Let me go!” I roared.

 

“No, I need you to listen to me,” he said, kneeling down before me on his knees.

 

Even still, he was at eye level with me. I glowered at him.

 

“I’m sorry, kid. I shouldn’t have said that shit,” he began rather awkwardly. “I….sometimes I let my temper get the best of me. I know that’s not an excuse, but… I’m really sorry. You’re not fucked up. You’re amazing. I’m the fuck up.”

 

My expression softened as I looked into his dark eyes. He was staring at me with the same pleading expression his mother had used downstairs. He had his mother’s eyes.

 

“And….I do need you,” he admitted in hardly a whisper.

 

“What was that?” I asked, unable to keep the smile from spreading across my face.

 

“I need you, kid,” he said a little louder.

 

“One more time?” I asked with a grin.

 

“Okay now you’re just pushing it,” he said, a smile spreading across his face.

 

I laughed, feeling a weight lift from my chest.

 

“So…can you forgive me?” he asked, still staring at me nervously as if his entire future depended on my answer.

 

I stared into his adorably goofy face and sighed again. How could I stay mad at him?

 

“Fine,” I agreed. “But you better be a hell of a lot nicer to me from now on. Pretend girlfriend or not, I will break this off if you ever talk to me like that again. I learned the hard way with Kit not to let someone treat me like dirt.”

 

“Fair enough,” Kylo said, grinning slightly.

 

“Hug it out?” I suggested, fighting my arms out of the cocoon Kylo had put me in.

 

“If I have to,” he sighed, sarcastically.

 

I raised my arms expecting an awkward hug, and was therefore extremely surprised when he tackled me instead.

 

I ended up on my back with him on top of me, hugging me so tightly I couldn’t breath.

 

“Kylo,” I coughed. “Get off!”

 

He laughed, but loosened his grip. He leaned back some, still straddling me and stared down at me, his thick black curls falling into his eyes. Though a layer of blankets separated our skin, I felt a heat spreading through me at his touch. My cheeks burned red as he stared down at me.

 

Neither of us said anything for several minutes. Kylo just stared at me with this intense stare, like he was debating something. My legs started to go numb, and I shifted underneath him. My movement seemed to bring him out of his trance.

 

“Well…I guess we should get some sleep,” Kylo said, climbing off of me.

 

“It has been a long day,” I said awkwardly, climbing out of the tangle of blankets.

 

“You sure you don’t want me to take the floor or something?” he asked awkwardly a I dug around in my bag for some pajamas.

 

“I think we can manage. This isn’t my first time you know,” I said, flashing a wink in his direction.

 

If I didn’t know better, I would have sworn he was blushing.


	8. Stranger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhh!! Once again you are all amazing. This story has grown into something more than I had expected it to, and it's all thanks to your encouragement and kind reviews!
> 
> Sorry about this chapter, it's kind of a filler, but it had to happen. I had a hard time writing this chapter, probably because I hate writing filler content. But of course without them, the story is disorganized and sloppy, so forgive me. The next chapter is where the real fun begins ;)
> 
>  
> 
> WARNING:  
> NSFW content ahead. (sort of)

_I was gasping for breath. The heat of his lips were trailing down over my body, leaving me quivering in their wake. He shot me a cocky grin as his mouth skirted down past my navel._

_“Kylo!” I gasped as his mouth found the area between my legs._

_I was completely at his mercy. I could do nothing but lay back on the black silk sheets as I felt myself coming undone._

 

_I curled my fingers in the thick soft nest of his hair, clutching him closer as I was brought to the very brink…._

 

 

 

 

I awoke with a start but I kept my eyes shut, trying to urge myself back into the dream. It had just been getting really good too. Why couldn’t I have woken up a second or two later?

 

Something under me moved, explaining the source of my disrupted sleep. My eyes flew open and I realized with immense embarrassment, I was wrapped around Kylo fucking Ren like he was the world’s most attractive body pillow. His arm was wrapped around me, keeping me close to his broad and very naked chest and my head rested in the crook of his shoulder.

 

_Please let him be asleep. Please let him be asleep._

Slowly, I raised my head and found myself staring into a pair of dark eyes.

 

_Fuck._

Heat flooded my face and time seemed to stand still as we just looked at each other, daring each other to speak first.

 

Lucky for us, a knock at the door broke the awkward tense silence that engulfed us. With one smooth motion, Kylo was up and crossing the room towards the door. He didn’t seem to care that he was shirtless as he opened the door.

 

“Good morning Master Ben, and Merry Christmas,” Threp said cheerily. “I have brought you and Ms. Faro some breakfast. Your mother is quite busy with preparations for this evening so she asked me to pass this letter on to Ms. Faro.”

 

“Thanks, Threp,” Kylo said, taking a tray from the elderly butler.

 

“You’re quite welcome. I shall see you both later I expect,” Threp said, bowing slightly towards Kylo.

 

Kylo shut the door and turned towards me holding the tray.

 

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Kylo asked hesitantly.

 

“You have some major bed head,” I said trying my best not to laugh.

 

Really, it was quite adorable. His thick dark locks were standing up in random places. It made him look younger, more innocent somehow. It even helped distract me from the fact that he was still shirtless….sort of.

 

Damn, his chest was sculpted. He wasn’t overly built, but defined and toned. A sprinkling of hair fell from his navel, disappearing under the hem of his pajama pants.

 

“Whatever,” he said rolling his eyes and setting the tray down on the side table. “You don’t exactly look like you just stepped off the red carpet yourself. Here, see what my mother wants.”

 

He threw the letter at me, which smacked me in the face. Scowling at him, I tore the letter open and read.

 

_Siri-_

_I am dreadfully sorry for the way dinner ended last night. To make it up to you, why don’t you let me help you get ready for the party tonight? I have hired someone to do my hair and makeup and I would be delighted to have them assist you as well. Come to my room around 2 and we will have you looking gorgeous for tonight. (not that you need it, dear)_

_Love,_

_  
Leia_

“She’ll need a whole team of people to deal with that hair,” Kylo snorted.

 

I threw a pillow at his face and crawled out of the bed.

 

“Douche,” I said as I yawned and stretched.

 

I inspected the tray and found coffee much to my delight. There was also bacon, eggs, muffins, pancakes, and toast. Threp really outdid himself. Kylo and I fought over the bacon, but there was enough on the tray to fill us both up.

 

After breakfast I decided I should get cleaned up so that the hairdresser wouldn’t have to fight through my dirty locks.

 

“Dibs on the bathroom,” I said, swallowing the last remnants of coffee. “I need a shower. And by shower, I mean I’m going to go soak in your giant bath tub.”

 

“Be careful you don’t drown,” Kylo called as I crossed the room. “Or do you need me to lifeguard?”

 

I stopped in the bathroom doorway and turned. Kylo was grinning cockily at me. Damn, we were getting way too used to each other if we were able to keep making these dirty jokes to each other.

 

“I’m a fine swimmer, thank you very much. But rest assured I’ll shout if your assistance is required,” I said dryly.

 

I closed the door behind me and sighed. Between the dirty dreams, then the dirty jokes…..I really needed to get laid. It had been way too long and being around Kylo didn’t exactly diminish that urge. It only made it worse.

 

Shaking myself slightly, I adjusted the taps of the bathtub until I got the water nice and hot. While I was waiting for the giant tub to fill, I brushed my teeth and stripped. The tub filled surprisingly fast and after I turned off the taps I heard the sounds of Kylo playing some game on his PS4.

 

_Good. At least he was distracted._

I sank into the tub, and it was like sinking into heaven. The tub was deep enough that water stopped just under my chin, keeping the rest of my body submerged. There was enough room for another person to sit comfortably in the tub, and a vision of Kylo stretched out beside me flashed into my mind making me blush again. Damn, I really needed to get my mind out of the gutter.

 

I submerged myself completely under, feeling quite like I was in a very warm swimming pool. I let the hot water relax my tense muscles, trying to clear my mind. I would have to be level headed and focused for tonight.

 

I spent a very long time in the tub, prolonging what was to come. Only when the water became room temperature did I finally climb out. I dried off with one of the large fluffy towels and stopped. I had forgotten to bring any clothes in. Cursing myself silently, I deliberated what I should do. Lucky for me, I spotted a thick robe hanging up and I wrapped myself in it. I wrapped my hair up in the towel and made my way out to Kylo. He was lying on the bed still playing his game.

 

“Took you long enough. Is that my robe?” Kylo asked, sitting up.

 

“Yep,” I replied casually. I spotted yet another tray sitting on the table. “Is that lunch?”

 

“Yeah, Threp brought it while you were swimming around in there,” Kylo said pushing the tray towards me.

 

“I was not swimming. I was relaxing,” I said through a mouthful of sandwich. “Scoot over.”

 

“What?” he asked surprised.

 

“I’m going to show you how it’s really done,” I said gesturing towards the paused game.

 

We played for a couple of hours, bickering the entire time about the strategies of the game and how to best play it. It was actually a lot of fun just hanging out in his room like normal people. Kylo even cracked a few jokes that had me laughing hysterically. It made me forget all about the party.

 

That is until Threp came to collect me to take me to Leia’s room. He told me I should bring my dress and stuff so I gathered up the garment bag that contained my ridiculously expensive dress and turned to say goodbye to Kylo.

 

“Well…. Guess I’ll see you later,” I said awkwardly.

 

“If you’re lucky. You never know, I might decide to take off and let you deal with my mother by yourself,” he said darkly.

 

“You better not,” I said narrowing my eyes at him. “If I’m going through all this trouble for you the least you could do is show up.”

 

“Fine,” he relented. “I just really hate that penguin suit.”

 

“Too bad,” I said over my shoulder as I left the room.

 

Still in Kylo’s robe and with damp hair, Threp led me through the halls towards the end of one corridor. He knocked on a set of double doors and I heard Leia’s voice in the room beyond.

 

“Come in,” she called.

 

Threp opened the doors and my mouth dropped open. Her room, if you could call it that, was huge. I mean who the hell has a sitting room in their bedroom!? Everything was elegant in colors ivory and greys. I didn’t want to touch the walls for fear of smearing my mundaneness upon it.

 

“Ah, thank you Threp,” Leia said cheerfully. “Siri, I’m so glad you’re here. I thought it might be nice to get ready together.”

 

“Thank you for inviting me,” I said with a smile.

 

I was glad to see she was also wearing a robe, (though hers was made of silk) and her hair was also damp as though she had just showered. Two tall and slender women were standing in the corner speaking to each other in rapid French.

 

“These are the ladies I hired. I always hire them for these kinds of events. They are incredible at what they do. Well, let’s get started, shall we?” Leia said sounding as though she couldn’t be happier.

 

For the next couple of hours, the French women plucked and poked at me while Leia talked to me excitedly. I could tell the older woman was lonely, and she was ecstatic that she had someone to share this time with. I smiled and talked with her amicably but I couldn’t help but be wary of what the two French women were doing to my face. Why did beauty hurt so much?

 

After a couple of hours, Leia was done before I was and she had to rush off to oversee the final preparations. Guests were due to start arriving soon and I said goodbye to her as she kept ushering apologies to me. The women were working on my hair, both speaking in French the entire time. They were taking so long, I actually started nodding off.

 

“Finished,” one of the women called, jolting me awake.

 

“Oh! Great,” I said, getting up out of the chair.

 

My back was stiff from sitting there so long. I turned and faced the mirror and gaped at the stranger reflected back at me. She was elegant and soft. Her hair was done up in a soft bun with curls falling softly here and there, framing the porcelain skin of her face. Her skin was flawless, and her eyes were smokey and mysterious. Red lips currently open slightly in surprise were like petals from a rose.

 

“Woah,” I gasped, slightly surprised to see the elegant stranger move along with me in the mirror.

 

“You are not happy?” one of the woman asked me in a thick accent.

 

“No! No, it’s perfect… I just didn’t recognize myself,” I said softly. “Thank you.”

 

“It was our pleasure,” she said, beaming at me. “Would you like help getting into your dress?”

 

“No thank you. I should be able to manage it,” I said, turning away from the mirror.

 

“Then we shall take our leave. Thank you mademoiselle,” she said, bowing to me.

  
The left me alone in Leia’s huge room and I disrobed. Taking the gown out of the bag, I stepped into it. Aayla had helped me find the most gorgeous dress that she had to force me into buying after I saw the price tag. It was all dark black except for the shimmering jewels encrusted into the very low neckline. It shimmered and sparkled whenever I moved, like the stars in the night sky. It framed my body perfectly, leaving a slit in the side that flashed my calf whenever I walked in it. A pair of dark heels completed the look.

 

I stared at myself in the mirror, and saw that elegant stranger staring back at me. Suddenly, I couldn’t breath. I sat down quickly on one of the ottomans. This wasn’t me. I wasn’t elegant and graceful, as my appearance suggested. I was clumsy and foolish and why had I ever thought I would be able to fit in here in this world of expensive finery.

I wanted to crawl back into my jeans and My Chemical Romance hoodie and bury myself in a good romance novel, back in my safe dorm room…. But I had promised Kylo. This was all for Kylo.

 

I stood up, resolutely and marched myself out of that room because though I may not want to admit it, at that point, there was very little I wouldn’t do for that man.

 


	9. Insight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry I didn't update last week!!  
> Life threw me a curveball, that's for sure. Got some life changing news.  
> Thanks for holding on so long. You are all awesome.  
> xoxoxoxoxoxoxox
> 
> Here we get to see things from Kylo's POV. Hope it turns out okay :/ I had a hard time writing it. We also get to meet Hux :p He's a twat, so be prepared.

 

KYLO's POV.

Kylo sighed as he tugged at the tuxedo he wore, studying his reflection in the bathroom mirror. He hated this damn suit, and he only wore it when his mother wouldn’t take no for an answer. A groan left his lips as he slicked back his long hair. How he wished he could just stay up here with Siri and spend the evening playing games and watching tv….but no. He had duties and expectations and he knew only too well what would happen if he were to disappoint his mother…again.

 

Figuring it was time to go find Siri, he turned and walked back into his room. He paused when he noticed Siri’s bag. It was open, and a sketchbook was visibly sticking out of the opening. Curiosity burned through him and he couldn’t resist taking a look.

  
Kylo grabbed it and began flipping through the pages. She was good, there was no doubt about it. But what he thought was interesting and unique about her art was how she seemed to draw the people and things that she enjoyed and loved most. The first few drawings were of her friend Aayla. She drew her smiling and laughing mostly. There were sketches of bands Siri loved, an older woman that looked like she could be her mother, characters from The Lord of the Rings….

 

Kylo’s eyes widened in surprise as his own face reflected back up at him from the pages of her sketchbook. She had drawn him with a broody look he knew he usually wore around campus. She had spent a lot of time on this drawing. The detail was impeccable. She had gotten his eyes just right. He turned the page and found his face yet again staring back up at him. In this picture he was leaning against a brick wall. The next page he was shown with a huge smile on his face.

 

Kylo stared down in amazement as he scanned through the last few pages. All of the latest drawings had been of him. There he was right alongside all the other people and things that she enjoyed the most. It was true, the two of them had gotten close over the last few weeks. Kylo would even go so far as to say they were pretty good friends now, yet something had begun to change.

 

Every time she laughed or smiled, a warm feeling would flood through his veins. His stomach would contract and if they got too close….his body would respond instantaneously. It had become far too easy to pretend to be in love with her, and he even forgot they were putting on an act at times. He found himself wanting to kiss her, even if no one was around. It had complicated everything and he had to keep reminding himself that it was all a farce, that none of it was real.

 

Yet as he stared down at his own portrait reflected several times over, he was glad to see he was the object of Siri’s musings. He wanted her to think of him, of only him. He wanted her to be his. He wanted to claim her as his own and he wanted to be hers, even when no one was watching.

 

But that was a stupid thought. Who would want to be with him? He was moody and unsociable and he knew he had a horrible temper. He wasn’t exactly stable, and Siri deserved someone who knew how to voice his feelings. Kylo had enough trouble naming them, let alone voicing how he felt. For years, he had tried so hard not to feel anything. The rejection of his father had been so painful he would have rather not felt anything ever again. Why had Siri had to come along and mess that up now?

 

Kylo sighed heavily, and placed the sketchbook back into her open bag, almost wishing he hadn’t looked. Everything was such a mess. He ran a hand through his hair once more and headed out the door, eager to find her and to get this night over with. He knew he couldn’t continue this charade, not when actual feelings were on the line. He would have to end it, sooner rather than later. He just needed to get through this evening first.

 

Lost in thought, he didn’t realize he had made his way to the foyer until the crowd of people broke him out of his musings. Guests were pouring in, coats were being taken, and they were all being directed towards the ballroom. Threp was taking the coat of a red haired man that Kylo would have known anywhere. A scowl spread across his face as the man’s eyes lifted and met his own.

 

“Ah, Ren,” his sneering voice called. “I wondered if you would make an appearance.”

 

“Hux,” Kylo nodded, his jaw clenched.

 

“It has been far too long. I’m glad to see you’re whole. Public university must be going well for you,” Hux said.

 

His words were polite, but his tone was anything but. Hux was another Senator’s son, and he had been his rival for years now. Hux was everything Kylo was supposed to be. He went to a private institution, studying politics for when he took over his father’s position in the world of government. Hux had always found Kylo’s lack of interest for the Senate laughable, even pathetic.

 

“Yes, well, some of us like to make a name for ourselves, rather than riding on the coattails of our parentage,” Kylo replied dryly.

 

“And what a name you have made,” Hux said smiling coldly. “Kicked out of Winston Academy, so you opted for cheap public school instead. My, my. You really must learn to control that temper. What you’re poor mother must have had to face.”

 

“Leave my mother out of this, Hux,” Kylo growled, anger coursing through him. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

 

“Everyone knows you’re just a disappointment to your family. At least you had the decency to change your name. Perhaps that will take some of the shame off of Senator Organa if everyone thinks you’re not related,” Hux continued.

“Perhaps you should worry about your own disappointing family, Hux. Tell me, how is your mother?” Kylo said with a wicked grin.

 

It was a low blow, but Hux deserved it. It was a little known secret that Hux was the illegitimate son of the Senator and some poor maid his father had seduced. In the judgmental society of the Senate, it was looked down upon for such an affair to even happen, let alone a child be conceived from it.

 

Hux’s face reddened and he opened his mouth to retaliate, when suddenly his attention was drawn elsewhere. His eyes widened and his jaw relaxed as he stared behind Kylo towards the large staircase. Kylo turned, and his own eyes widened in awe as he took in the sight before him.

 

Siri was gliding down the staircase. She wore a sleek black floor length dress that showed quite a bit of pale creamy skin every time she took a step. The cut was low, providing him with a view of ample cleavage, surrounded by the sparkles on the neckline. It looked like stars shining in the night sky. Her hair was elegantly tied back, save for a few wisps that framed her beautiful face. Her face….it was perfection. Her lips were full and dark and her eyes were dark and mysterious. She looked like a goddess made real.

 

If it hadn’t been for the nervous look on her face, he wouldn’t have been sure it was her. He swallowed hard as he stared at her. Every part of his body was screaming at him, urging him to go forward and claim her as his own. To tear the dress from her shoulders and to hear her moan beneath him.

 

“Hey, I hope I’m not late,” she said, her voice shy and nervous.

 

“N..No. You’re fine,” Kylo stammered, unable to stop staring.

 

“Ren, who is you’re beautiful friend? Surely you didn’t manage to procure a date?” Hux said smoothly.

 

“Uh, yeah actually. Siri Faro. I’m Kylo’s girlfriend,” Siri said politely.

 

Hux took her hand and kissed the back of it softly. Kylo resisted the urge to punch him.

 

“A pleasure to make your acquaintance,” Hux said, staring at her hungrily. “I must say it is quite a surprise to see that Ren has managed to ensnare someone quite as lovely as yourself.”

 

“Uh…thanks?” Siri replied uneasily.

 

“Come on,” Kylo huffed, grabbing her by the hand and leading her away.

  
“I shall see you both later then,” Hux called after them.

 

 

 

 

SIRI’s POV

“What was that about?” I whispered as I let myself be led away from the red headed man.

 

“I hate that guy,” Kylo growled. “And I didn’t like the way he was staring at you.”

 

“I thought he looked kinda creepy,” I replied. “Why were you talking to him if you hate him?”

 

“We weren’t talking….more like insulting each other,” Kylo replied.

 

I cocked a brow in confusion, but I was soon distracted by the grand room Kylo led me into. Four huge Christmas trees stood decorated with golden ornaments in each of the corners of the room. Several tables lined with white linen were placed around a large dance floor. Servers were coming around to each of the tables and offering drinks and appetizers. The people that filled the room positively radiated money and power. It was the nicest place I had ever been in, and it was incredible to think that we were still in Kylo’s house. Who has a room like this in their house?!

 

Kylo led me to a table in the corner and he gulped down a glass of champagne the minute a server brought him one.

 

“So…..how does this work?” I asked, gesturing to the room at large.

  
“As soon as everyone is here, they’ll start dinner. Then they’ll have dancing and drinking. Everyone tends to leave around midnight,” Kylo said dully.

 

“Well, shouldn’t we say hello to your mother?” I asked him, looking across the room to where she stood talking happily to an older couple.

 

“Later,” he grumbled. “Now I need alcohol.”

 

“You’re gonna need something stronger than that stuff,” I pointed out.

 

“I like your thinking,” he said, grinning mischievously. “Come on, I know where we keep the good stuff.”

 

I got up and followed him through a side door that lead through the kitchen. Several caterers stared at us as we passed, but I guessed they knew who Kylo was because they never tried to stop us.

 

Kylo led me towards a bar on one wall of the kitchen and opened up a cabinet to reveal bottles of high dollar liquor.

 

“They don’t break this stuff out until after dinner, but I think we should try some now. Make sure it’s safe to serve to the guests,” Kylo said pointedly.

 

“Well, when you put it that way,” I said, rolling my eyes, but accepting the glass of brown liquor he offered me. I lifted the glass in a toast.

 

“To….Christmas?” I suggested.

 

“To ridiculously overpriced whiskey,” Kylo offered instead.

 

We clinked our glasses together, and I took a generous swallow of the booze. It warmed my insides up as it slid down my throat.

 

“I haven’t told you….you look stunning,” Kylo said in a low voice.

 

“Oh. Thanks,” I said, a blush spreading across my face. “You look good too. Very handsome and debonair.”

 

“If you say so,” Kylo snorted.

 

“I’d say we look like we fit in here,” I said in a dignified voice.

 

“All you need is a superiority complex and to get rid of any sense of humility you have,” Kylo joked.

 

“I am so glad you’re not like that,” I said honestly. “It’s kind of amazing you came out so normal. I can only imagine what being surrounded by all that does to a kid. But your mom seems alright. She’s not judgy or overinflated.”

 

“She’s one of the more humble Senators,” Kylo agreed. “But I’m not sure I’d say I came out normal.”

 

“Well…your normal enough,” I said. “As normal as I am at least.”

 

“So you’re saying I’m crazy then,” Kylo said with a smirk.

 

I nudged him playfully with my elbow and finished the rest of my drink. Kylo shot me a small smile and followed suit.

 

“I guess we better get back,” he sighed.

  
“Come on, it won’t be that bad,” I said taking his arm.

“No. At least I have you here,” he said softly.


	10. Feral

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back!!! Sorry for the wait! School sucks as always, but I'm on Spring Break now which means I can actually get some writing done!
> 
> For all the reviews and love and support I've gotten on this story, I cannot express my thanks and gratitude. You are all wonderful human beings. 
> 
> As a treat, here is something you have all been waiting for. ;) Did I say this was a slow-burner? Because damn this story has been a slow burner.
> 
> The wait is over.
> 
> NSFW CONTENT AHEAD! :D

Feral

 

Kylo was right. The party was pretty dull, all things considered.

At least the food was excellent. Kylo and I had to sit at the same table as Kylo’s mother and a few other elite people as we ate. They mostly discussed politics that I didn’t care to keep up with. Kylo entertained himself by poking me with a spoon under the table causing me to scowl and kick him in the shin discreetly. 

After dinner, everyone stood around drinks in their hands, and mingled with each other. People stood talking about their second or third vacation houses, how much land they owned, and their political successes this year. Really, I couldn’t blame Kylo for hating these events. The snobbery was palpable, and Kylo and I stood off in a corner for most of the evening, drinking and quietly making fun of the stuffy looking gentlemen nearest to us.

Kylo, who had drunk a good amount more than I, left to use the bathroom. I stayed in the corner, unwilling to draw attention to myself. However, it seemed I had caught the eye of someone. That red headed guy that Kylo had been arguing with earlier this evening.

“Evening, Ms. Faro,” he said smoothly. “I trust you’re enjoying yourself?”

“Oh, umm yeah,” I said nervously. “Great party… I’m sorry I don’t think I caught your name.”

“Armitage Hux,” he said, reaching out for my hand. To my astonishment he brought the back of my hand to his lips. It sent a shiver down my spine, but not in the good way.

“Where has Ren snuck off to?” he asked glancing around. 

“He just went to the bathroom,” I said, taking my hand back from his.

“And he just left you all alone,” Hux said disapprovingly. “It doesn’t surprise me. Ren’s manners have always been less than adequate. Perhaps you would permit me to keep you company while you wait? I daresay Ren hasn’t asked you for a dance yet?”

“Uh….no we haven’t danced,” I said, a little dazed and confused by his attitude.

“Well then, allow me,” he said with a smile and without another thought he dragged me off to the dance floor where other couples were swaying to elegant music.

I didn’t really know how to dance, so I was surprised when Hux took my waist and brought me closer to him. He smelled of expensive cologne, but he didn’t nearly smell as good as Kylo. He led me in a gentle sway and I did my best to follow his lead. It wasn’t too hard once I got used to his motions.

  
“So, I must ask, how did a beautiful woman like yourself end up with Ren?” Hux asked. It sounded polite enough a question, but I could hear the sneer behind his words.

“We um, were paired up as lab partners and got together shortly after,” I said, trying to keep myself from tripping over his feet.

I wondered what Kylo would think once he saw I was dancing with his rival. It wasn’t as if I had much of a chance to refuse.

“I see,” he said thoughtfully. “I must say, I was surprised to find out he was with anyone, especially someone like you.” 

“What is that supposed to mean?” I asked, my eyes narrowing suspiciously. 

“Oh I don’t mean to offend you,” he said quickly with a grin. “But you can’t tell me you haven’t noticed how….volatile Ren can be. It must make it hard for him to get close to anyone with his temper.”

  
“Sure, he has a bit of a temper,” I agreed. “But he has a good heart, and he’s been nothing but kind to me. He’s the best boyfriend I have ever had.”

A little part of me was shocked to find it was true, which kind of made me a little sad. The best relationship I ever had was a fake one.

“How….sweet,” Hux commented, that annoying sneer on his face. “Well perhaps with you by his side, he will strive a bit more in the political world. I must say he’s been an utter disappointment to his family thus far.”

“Kylo is –“ I began to argue, but a hand on my shoulder stopped me from finishing.

“Hux, thank you for keeping my date company, but I would like her back now,” Kylo said, his voice barely containing his anger.

“Of course, Ren,” Hux said sneering up at him. “Ms. Faro, thank you for the lovely dance and your companionship.” 

“Right,” I muttered.

“Come on,” Kylo growled, and I was surprised to feel his grip on my arm was rather strong.

He lead me furiously out of the ballroom and up the stairs.

“Kylo… what –“ I began, but Kylo shook his head furiously and continued leading me up the stairs. We didn’t stop until we reached his room.

“Kylo, what the hell?!” I exclaimed as he pushed me through the door. “You didn’t have to pull my arm off!”

He slammed the door and turned around, his expression stormy. He looked pissed, so I braced myself for one hell of a fight.

I did NOT expect him to kiss me.

His lips came crashing down on mine, furious and hungry. One of his large hands snaked up around me and nested in my hair, pulling the elegant bun apart. It took me a moment to respond, my shock was too great. But something in me shifted, and I responded with fervor. I kissed him back, my arms reaching up to pull him closer to me. He gripped my waist hard and I was pretty sure I’d have bruises there tomorrow.

Finally he broke from my lips, but he didn’t move away.

“I’m sorry,” he said in a low voice. “But when I saw Hux’s hands on you….I couldn’t take it.”

“I didn’t want to dance with him,” I whispered back. “He kind of made me.” 

“Of course he did,” Kylo growled. “Hux has always tried to take what is mine.”

“Yours?” I asked, raising a brow.

“I didn’t mean…” he began, but I silenced him with another kiss.

  
“It’s okay,” I whispered against his lips. “I can be yours.”

He growled low in his throat and kissed me hard, his tongue moving with mine expertly. That primal urge rushed through me with a burning that I didn’t think I would be able to contain. I pushed his suit jacket off his broad shoulders and let it fall to the floor.

Kylo took the hint and his hand slipped to my back. He slowly unzipped the back of my dress as I loosened his tie. He pushed he straps of my dress away, and it fell softly to the floor around my ankles. I stood before him in my black bra and underwear and he stared at me hungrily for a long moment.

Then I was off my feet. Kylo had swept me up in his arms, my shoes falling off in the process. He crossed the room in one quick stride and lowered me onto his bed. My heart was pounding with anticipation. I wanted him with every part of me. I didn’t care what happened between us, or what doing this meant, I just wanted him to touch me.

He climbed on top of me and attacked my neck with his lips, eliciting a moan from me.

“You’re so fucking beautiful,” he growled, nipping my shoulder with his teeth. 

“And you’re wearing too many clothes,” I protested, gripping the back of his shirt.

  
He chuckled low in his throat and leaned back. His hands fumbled with the buttons, but a moment later he threw the shirt over his shoulder.

Good fucking god, he was shredded.

His pale skin was lean and toned and perfect. I nearly moaned at the sight of him. I pushed myself up to my knees and began attacking his lips again with my own. I ran my hands over his muscled back, and I felt him shiver. He reached behind me and with a snap, my bra was off.

Kylo pushed me back down onto the bed and he began kissing his way down my neck. It was my turn to shiver. He grinned up at me and took one of my nipples into his mouth. I gasped as his tongue swirled around it, stimulating me in a way I had never felt before. He grabbed my other breast in his hand and kneaded it gently.

“Shit,” I gasped, feeling myself grow wetter and wetter with each passing second. 

I sat up quickly, needing to get his pants off. He sat back startled at my sudden movement. I reached for his belt and began unclasping it. He busied himself by nipping on my neck. My breath was fast, and I was pleased to see that his was just as erratic.

Kylo froze when I stuck my hand down the front of his pants.

“Siri,” he gasped.

“Yes?” I asked, trying to sound seductive.

I ran my hand down his hard length and he shuddered and closed his eyes.

Encouraged, I slipped his pants lower, exposing his cock. My eyes widened at the sight of it. Fuck, he was huge! A light dusting of black hair trailed from beneath his navel down to the top of his cock. I began stroking his length, enjoying the way Kylo was panting hard.

Wanting more of him, I bent down slightly and parted my lips. Kylo’s eyes snapped open as I took him into my mouth.

“Fuck!” he gasped, and I hummed complacently around him.

I went down as far as I could, but I couldn’t take his entire length. He was too large, so I wrapped a hand around the base and stroked him along with my motions. One of his hands curled into my hair and he guided me down on him. For some reason this turned me on even more. I loved a man who could take charge in bed.

He moaned as I increased my speed, but he seemed he couldn’t take any more. He pulled away and I looked at him questioningly. He shoved me back and pulled his pants down the rest of the way, along with his shoes. I watched him crawl up my body looking like a predator that was about to pounce on his prey.

“You sure you want this?” he asked seriously.

I nodded.

“Yes,” I whispered. “I want you.”

He grinned at me and hooked his thumbs on the sides of my underwear and pulled them down. He traced his hands along my thigh, urging my legs open. I was eager to have him in me, so I obliged. He ran a finger down my center, and I bit back a moan.

“You’re so wet,” he said huskily.

He circled my clit and this time my moan couldn’t be contained. He grinned again at me and continued his motions sending waves of pleasure through me. He positioned his tip against my entrance and slowly, he pushed himself into me while continuing to stimulate my clit.

I groaned at the feeling of him in me. He paused, giving my body a minute to adjust to his length. I started moving against him, urging him on. It didn’t take much to encourage him. He set a steady pace of pushing himself all the way in me. I cried out in pleasure as each thrust hit a sensitive spot inside of me. His lips found my neck again, and I scratched his back with my nails.

It felt amazing, but I wanted more. I could tell Kylo was holding back, probably afraid to hurt me. I had never been into rough sex before, but suddenly that’s exactly what I wanted. I wanted him to let loose everything he was holding inside.

“Kylo,” I moaned into his ear. “Harder.”

He leaned back and looked at me questioningly.

  
“You sure?” he asked hesitantly.

“Fuck me,” I begged him. “Hard.”

“You asked for it,” he said cockily.

Suddenly, he lifted my legs up around his waist and lifted my torso against him with his strong arms. He drove himself into me faster and deeper than he had before. I cried out loudly as I felt him hit my cervix, but oh god did it feel amazing. He seemed encouraged by my moaning, and he lifted me off the bed and pushed me against the wall. Pinning me there, he fucked me hard against the wall, keeping me up with his strength.

I moaned loudly, not caring if anyone could hear us.

“Fuck, Kylo!” I cried out as he increased his speed even further.

He was grunting both in pleasure and from the exertion. His eyes were lust filled and possessive. He looked like a feral beast. This only turned me on even more.

“Say it,” he commanded.

  
“What?” I asked between frantic gasps. 

“Say you’re mine,” he said through clenched teeth.

“Fuck…..Kylo,” I moaned. “I’m yours. Only yours.”

This seemed to please him and he slammed his hips into me, bringing me to the edge. I cried out his name as I came around him, clutching him to me in support as I came undone. 

He moaned loudly and after a couple of thrusts, fell still against me. Both of us were breathing hard. He slid me down to the floor and I felt the combination of both of our orgasms between my legs. I needed to clean up, but I was barely standing. I didn’t think I could walk quite yet.

  
As if reading my mind, Kylo strode into the bathroom. I heard the tap run, and he returned a minute later with a wet washcloth. He cleaned the mess from between my legs and tossed the rag aside. He picked me back up and set me down softly in his bed. He laid down beside me and suddenly I realized the full effects of what we had just done.

“Sooo…..I think it’s safe to say we aren’t going back down to the party,” I said awkwardly.

“I hadn’t planned on it,” he said, placing an arm around me. “Did you want to?”

“Not really,” I shrugged. “I’d rather stay up here with you.”

“Good,” he said.

We lay there in silence for a few minutes. I wished I could read his mind. His expression was blank and thoughtful.

“Are you….okay?” I asked tentatively.

“Are you kidding?” he asked, a slow smile spreading across his lips. “I just had the best sex I’ve ever had with a beautiful woman and you’re asking me if I’m alright?”

“Well, it’s so hard to tell with you!” I exclaimed, blushing a bit.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

“I’m great,” I said, smiling up at him. “That was….that was the best I’ve ever had too….and honestly….I’ve been wanting to do that for a while.”

“Me too,” he whispered, and my heart skipped a beat.

“So….where does that leave us?” I asked nervously.

“Well….you wanna go out sometime?” he asked cheekily.

I laughed, and Kylo smiled.

  
“I think we’re a little past that,” I said.

  
“Well….how about we take the fake out of our relationship?” he asked. I thought I heard a hint of nervousness in his voice.

“You mean do this for real? Like actually be together?” I asked.

He nodded.

My smile grew wider and my heart felt like it was going to flutter out of my chest. I reached up and placed a soft kiss against his lips. 

“I’d like that,” I said softly.

  
He flashed me a soft smile and kissed me back gently.


End file.
